Nick Kyrgios 'has a bad habit, messy way' says unimpressed Toni Nadal after Wimbledon loss to Novak Djokovic
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Published 12/07/2022 at 08:06 GMT
“He has a bad habit of hitting too many balls in any way, basically without paying attention and in a bad position," an unimpressed Toni Nadal said of Nick Kyrgios after his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. “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."
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Toni Nadal has provided a pretty scathing analysis of Nick Kyrgios' "understanding of tennis" in the wake of the Australian's defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
The top seed and defending champion fended off a typically feisty Kyrgios in the final, 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6(3), to claim his seventh Wimbledon crown and 21st Grand Slam title.
In an explosive, heated and tense battle, Djokovic simply had too much for Kyrgios when it really mattered, and after a very challenging year so far, the Serb was able to add another Wimbledon title to his collection, moving one behind Roger Federer. In the process, he closed the gap to one Grand Slam behind his other great rival, Rafael Nadal.
Kyrgios was able to reflect on his best performance in a Grand Slam singles event so far in his career, but Toni Nadal believes he still has a long way to go if he is to truly understand what it takes to be a great champion on the biggest stages the sport has to offer.
“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," he told El Pais.
“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 a 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 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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When asked if he was hungry for more after the defeat in the final, Kyrgios joked: “Absolutely not, I'm so tired, honestly.
"Myself and my team, I think we are all exhausted. We have played so much tennis. I definitely need a well-earned vacation after this one.
"I’m just really happy with this result, it’s the best in my career - so hopefully I can be here again, but I don’t know about that.”
Later in his press conference, he said he was "two beers deep" and felt very good with the pressure and expectation he was feeling having finally been lifted.
"I was obviously super excited to be here and I had some high hopes, but I've never felt, to be honest, good," he said.
"I just felt so much pressure. There's so much anxiety, pressure to do things or achieve things.
"If I don't do well, like it's just so much. So I feel unbelievable. Like, I'm two beers deep!"
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