By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, June 30, 2018
"Nick Kyrgios to me is the most talented tennis player of the last 10 years I've seen, since Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, Federer," says John McEnroe.
Photo credit: Laver Cup
Nick Kyrgios is the most gifted player in a decade and can win Wimbledon—if he can stay healthy and face his fears, says John McEnroe.
The Hall of Famer briefly coached Kyrgios during Laver Cup competition last summer and believes the explosive Aussie is one of a handful of men who can win Wimbledon next month.
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"Nick to me is the most talented tennis player of the last 10 years I've seen, since Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, Federer," McEnroe told Tennis Now in an ESPN conference call to promote the network's Wimbledon coverage, which begins on Monday at 7 a.m. Eastern time.
"He's an incredible talent," McEnroe said of Kyrgios. "As far as mentally, I haven't been around him much. I haven't seen much of him. I've tried to reach out to him. I haven't spoken to him."
The 15th-seeded Kyrgios opens Wimbledon against the dangerous Denis Istomin. Kyrgios has swept all six sets vs. Istomin, including a 2014 Davis Cup victory on grass. Should the seeds hold true to form, Kyrgios would face 24th-seeded Kei Nishikori in the third round.
The explosive Kyrgios arrives at SW19 empowered by successive semifinal runs on grass.
The Brisbane champion pushed reigning Wimbledon champion Roger Federer to a third-set tiebreak before bowing in the Stuttgart semifinals.
Kyrgios did not drop serve falling to Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic in two tie break sets in the Queen's Club semifinals and pronounced himself fit after elbow problems plagued him in the spring.
"But it looks like at least he's healthy because he's been battling some issues with I believe his elbow and shoulder," McEnroe told Tennis Now. "Certainly he's one of the most dangerous guys. He'd be one of the six, eight guys [who can win Wimbledon]. I don't know what his physical condition is at this point. He didn't play any of the clay court events. He missed out on a lot of the hard court ones.
"My guess would be it would be tough considering mentally and physically for him to be able to go all the way."
The 23-year-old Kyrgios rocketed 32 aces beating British No. 1 Kyle Edmund at Queen's Club and matched that total defeating defending champion Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals.
The audacious Aussie was nearly invincible on serve, but showed signs of stress as well dropping several F-bombs, including one that prompted the BBC to apologize to viewers of its live coverage, and incurred a $17,500 fine for simulating self-pleasure with his water bottle in a lewd changeover session.
While Kyrgios has suffered opening-round exits in two of his last three majors, including the 2017 Wimbledon, he typically plays his most dynamic tennis at SW19 where he was a 2014 quarterfinalist.
"I feel confident, for sure," Kyrgios said. "There's a lot of grass court players. I mean, the Grand Slams are totally different. Best-of-five sets. There's a lot more momentum swings. Yeah, I mean, the last couple of weeks, I feel pretty untouchable on serve."
If McEnroe were coaching Kyrgios, what would be his focus?
The three-time Wimbledon champion suggests addressing Kyrgios' commitment and willingness to face his fear of failure are two keys to unlocking his massive potential.
While Kyrgios cites Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as his tennis hero and his mother, Nil, has publicly said she's encouraged her son to behave more like Roger Federer on court, McEnroe believes the man who knocked Rafael Nadal out of the Wimbledon would be best served emulating the 11-time Roland Garros champion's raw desire and dedication.
"As far as coaching, I don't believe in saying what exactly I would do without having spent some time," McEnroe told Tennis Now. "He's got some issues with that fear, like everyone, of failure, laying it all out there and coming up a little short.
"I think that's what makes Nadal so great. He's willing to compete and start every match, each match, like he hasn't played any before. That's what separates the guys. The guys that are willing to dig in, dig deeper, [Nick has] got to find a way to do that."
Hall of Famer Chrissie Evert doesn't necessarily agree with McEnroe's assessment.
Evert knows Kyrgios as his girlfriend, Ajla Tomljanovic, has trained at the Evert Academy in Boca Raton, Florida.
The former No. 1 likes Kyrgios personally, respects his individuality and praises him for his generosity hitting with juniors at her Academy, though she questions his hunger for Grand Slam titles and believes he will continue to produce extreme results.
"I'll talk about Nick a little bit because he's down in Boca quite a bit. I observe him," Evert told Tennis Now. "The thing about Nick, he is his own person. We can just stand by and marvel at his talent, appreciate the big wins, but expect the big losses, too. This is his temperament."
Widely-regarded as one of the mentally strongest champions in Open Era history, Evert asserts championship desire is inherent and cannot be coached.
"I don't know how much you can teach, again, hunger and focus and commitment," ESPN analyst Evert told Tennis Now during a conference call to promote the network's Wimbledon coverage. "I mean, you can encourage it, but until it gets into his persona, until it gets into his conscience and his heart, we're not going to see the best of Nick Kyrgios. It's just the way he is."
Kyrgios' immense talent makes him a major threat and is one reason he hasn't developed the mental toughness to master a major, says Evert.
"Again, it's very often that the most talented players, when things come very easy to them, sometimes mentally they're not as tough because they don't have to be," Evert told Tennis Now. "It's the grinders that have to work harder that are sometimes mentally tougher. He's got to find that desire and that hunger inside himself."