"He broke all his rackets and had no rackets to play with": Nick Kyrgios vehemetly dismisses John McEnroe comparisons

Nick Kyrgios shared his thoughts on the comments that draw comparisons between him and John McEnroe but dismissed feeling any resemblance.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has stood out not only for his talent but also for some controversies he has been involved in. His rebellious attitude, which is not to everyone's liking, has garnered attention from fans since his early appearances on the ATP Tour. This is why Kyrgios has been compared to another talent known for his rebellious nature: John McEnroe, a 7-times Grand Slam champion and remembered as the most controversial player in the late '70s and '80s.

The Australian has been off the courts throughout 2023, and it remains uncertain when he will make his comeback. Recently, he ruled himself out of the UTS Seoul, scheduled between December 15 and 17. Kyrgios addressed these comparisons with McEnroe in an interview with Piers Morgan and dismissed any parallels between them.

“I don't think I've ever been defaulted from a match. He broke all his rackets and had no rackets to play with and had to get defaulted. So I don't think I've ever done that. I've walked off the court,” Kyrgios said.

The former world No. 13 also reminisced about the first time he met McEnroe and acknowledged that they share some personality traits:

“When me and Johnny Mac first met each other, I feel like we were both a bit on edge at Laver Cup because he was team world's captain and I was like team world's kind of comradery captain in that sense. And we both didn't know how we were going to be,” Kyrgios added.

“And then we sat down,we had dinner together and we realized that we're pretty similar in the sense where we're trying to be ourselves. We're just trying to be original and authentic. And I feel like he was really surprised that I was intellectually pretty switched on and he doesn't really try and give me advice anymore. He knew pretty early that I was my own person,” the Aussie concluded.