‘Nick Kyrgios has a messy understanding of tennis,’ says Toni Nadal in cutting analysis
Toni Nadal has given a cutting analysis of Nick Kyrgios, saying he cannot improve due to his ‘messy understanding of tennis.’
Kyrgios had a standout grass season, reaching the semi-finals in Stuttgart and Halle before going all the way to the Wimbledon final.
He ran into Novak Djokovic there, who beat him in four sets, and Toni Nadal believes it was obvious to see that the Australian just can’t live with that calibre of player.
Speaking to El Pais, Nadal said: “In the decisive moments he was unable to control his anxiety that, again, degenerated into constant rebukes to his team as if they were to blame for the undesired paths the scoreboard was taking for him.
“The match lacked great brilliance, mainly because there were too many unplayed points. The lack of perseverance of the Australian, especially in regards to maintaining his aggressiveness, revealed the main problem that, in my opinion, his game possesses.
“He has a bad habit of hitting too many balls in any way, basically without paying attention and in bad position.
“In today’s tennis, due to the speed at which the ball goes, there is no choice but to look for a good position to have good control.
“The great players (Federer, Djokovic, Rafael) measure their steps well, seek a good position and, from there, try to hit a good shot and increase the chances of victory.
“Nick Kyrgios, with his messy way of understanding the game, is handicapped not so much by what he does with the ball, but by the way he wants to do it.
“It is very difficult for him to achieve the continuity that requires scoring points. Tennis is a sport of repetition, rather than the spectacular.”
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