Three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe said Tuesday that controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios "needs Sigmund Freud" to sort out the "demons" in his game.
Kyrgios carved a sometimes thrilling, often controversial path to the Wimbledon final where he lost in four sets on Sunday to Novak Djokovic. A series of outbursts saw the 27-year-old fined and he was described as "evil" and "a bully" by third round opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Read also
Nonetheless, there was some impressive and inventive hitting, not least in the final, where he clattered 30 aces and 62 winners in total.
"The guy is a genius out there the way he plays," McEnroe told the BBC, adding that Kyrgios needed some advice from the father of psychoanalysis. "He needs Sigmund Freud to come out of the grave and somehow figure out a way to keep this guy going for a couple of years because we could use him.
"It's unbelievable, he moves the needle for us in tennis. We need this big time but we don't need him to try half the time."
Off court the World No. 45, who has admitted to 'tanking' during matches, also faces a court hearing in Canberra next month in relation to an allegation of common assault.
"He's a good kid, the players like him, he's well liked in the locker room, he does a lot of charity work," said McEnroe in mitigation. "But he's got demons you know, in a way -- we all have this fear of failure and it's a question of how you best deal with it."
McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, was himself no stranger to controversy in his career, often lapsing into pantomime histrionics on court in a bid to raise his own game.
"I would say I'm proud of most of what I did but there are certainly times where I'm like, 'I didn't need to do that'" said McEnroe. "It only exacerbated the situation and made more people get mad at me or start booing me so it wasn't like it helped me.
"It may be at times you blow off some steam. Obviously, you see Kyrgios doing that all the time.
"You know he's sitting there and he's obviously tortured in certain ways. (He's) unbelievably talented, very smart... a hell of a player when he wants to be."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
claps 53visitors 3
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- I predicted whenthe list was finalised that Linda Noskova would win the WTA Finals and her matches against Gauff and Kostyuk prove that. She is the best (underrated) player in the world!Rapunzel11-11-2026
- Either Lena has a chronic internal ailment (i.e., colitis, enteritis, Crohn's, or some type of lower abdomen issue) -- or she is once again dealing with 'Vukovitis'. Mental stress can indeed cause lower body pains. No matter... whatever is truly going on sucks. "Virus" excuse is getting a bit old -- and often -- at this point.
mandoist09-11-2026 - Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!mandoist09-11-2026
- "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?mandoist09-11-2026
- Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.mandoist08-11-2026
- Can't help but suspect Vukov is back to his old self again. Thank you, WTA. Perhaps you can give them a "Battling Couple of the Year Award 2026" ??mandoist08-11-2026
- Wtf? Why is there no reason? And what about the men's?Bel08-11-2026
- One step by another step -- WTA continues to 'lose the plot'. Too many hi-tech microphones being installed at most venues!!! Remove them (especially those along the hallways, sidewalks, and pathways throughout the venues. Not to mention (most of all) remove the mic's from the Players/Coaches Box.mandoist06-11-2026
- Enough of her bullshit. Go marry someone.mandoist06-11-2026
- Don't you just love this young lady!? We fans often expect athletes to be supermen and superwomen, often forgetting that they WILL GET TIRED! I love Alex's perspective. Tiredness for an athlete should never be viewed as a negative, especially if you are healthy, taking care of your body and mental health and putting in the work. What a mature perspective. Good for you, Alex!Rapunzel05-11-2026
