"Each time he does something I go ‘Did I do that?" - McEnroe compares himself to Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios is not the only player in the history of tennis who created controversy with his play or behaviour as John McEnroe knows.

The American was the Kyrgios of his generation, a superb player but with plenty of negative publicity due to his various outbursts on the court. McEnroe has had a far better career than Kyrgios but that is mostly due to him taking tennis much more seriously than Kyrgios ever did.

McEnroe talked recently about Kyrgios and his own career to Los Angeles Times saying:

"I think I was right most of the time. That doesn’t mean I went about it in the right way. Knock on wood, I feel like I’m in a pretty good place now. The effort that I’ve made to get there, that’s been like a roller coaster in a lot of ways, but it’s been a hell of a ride. So I look at it that way and I feel like I’m in a pretty good place in my life right now.”

On Kyrgios, he added:

"Each time he does something I go, ‘Did I do that?’ I like Nick as a person. I think he’s a smart kid. He moves the needle. I think the players like him. A lot of fans like him. There’s a lot of talk about him. He’s an incredible talent."

Concluding with his opinion that too often, Kyrgios simply mails it in:

"I tried to model myself after [Jimmy] Connors, giving that type of effort. How hard did I try? Did I give it my best? And I think for the most part I feel like I did that, and I feel too often Nick just mails it in. And that’s just not good for him or good for the sport."