John McEnroe says Nick Kyrgios ‘gets sidetracked by anxiety and fear’

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John McEnroe gave an honest assessment of Nick Kyrgios in response to constant comparisons between himself and the 27-year-old Australian. The former world No 1 confessed that he believed Kyrgios was wrongly thought of as a “bad person” because of the “anxiety and fear” that took over when he wanted to do his best.

Kyrgios has repeatedly earned himself comparisons to McEnroe after becoming known as the “bad boy” of tennis thanks to some of his on-court antics that have seen him receive several fines and warnings over the years. And the seven-time Grand Slam champion has now addressed those comparisons as he made some candid observations of the Aussie, leaping to his defence.

“Thanks to Kyrgios there are many new tennis fans, and that is a positive thing,” the American tennis legend told Australia’s Sunrise on 7. “He has an electrifying style of play.” But the 63-year-old thought Kyrgios battled with a fear of failing and not being good enough.

He continued: “We are all afraid of failing and we try to overcome it to do the best we can. The best way is to believe that you can go out and do your job and show off your skills for as long as you can. It’s tough and Nick has a problem with it.”

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With McEnroe able to draw some similarities with how he felt during his playing career, the American confessed that he felt like Kyrgios was one of his own as he backed the world No 20 to do “great things” in the future. “Kyrgios often gets sidetracked by anxiety and fear when he goes out there and does his best and he’s not good enough against some players, and that’s why he’s called a bad person,” the 77-time title winner said.

“I’ve dealt with it too, so he looks who came to speak. I have been involved in many things, so who am I to tell him what he should do? I do it as someone who sees him as a tennis player who can be good for the game and I want to raise him as one of my children in some way.

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“He’s the guy I get compared to the most and this kid, if he takes it seriously for the next two years, he can do great things in tennis.” The 27-year-old has already proved what he can do when he puts the work in after enjoying a career-best season in 2022.

Kyrgios started the year by winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkiankis before reaching his maiden Grand Slam final in singles at Wimbledon. He also picked up two more doubles titles and his seventh career singles title in Washington.

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