McEnroe believes current game too sterile for his liking: “I’d ike to see a little bit more explosive temper see the emotions”

Sunday, 19 February 2023 at 01:00

John McEnroe weighed in about players temperament on court, and mention Nick Kyrgios as an example.

Former world No. 1 took to Twitter to respond to a fan who asked 'why do tennis players have such an explosive temper?' McEnroe said he disagreed, since he doesn't see many players showing their tempers in tournaments: "You must be watching different tournaments than me 'cause I don't see many players having meltdowns at all."

“And I know something about meltdowns, my past experience, and I’ve seen a couple of players, obviously Nick Kyrgios comes to mind having meltdowns on a pretty regular basis, but for the most part, tennis players are incredibly well behaved, maybe too well behaved in my book,”

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“I’d like to see a little bit more explosive temper see the emotions, wear it on their sleeve, there’s a handful of people you see that, but I just saw someone win Wimbledon on the girl’s side who didn’t show any emotion, so I don’t know if any of us wanna see that”, said the American in reference to Elena Rybakina's reaction after winning her first Grand Slam. “So perhaps there’s a happy medium,” he added.

Another topic McEnroe talked about was players breaking rackets during games, a fact he himself made many times during his career: “We break a tennis racket, and then you give it to a fan in the stands, a broken racket, it’s a win, win. Is a person in the stands gonna use it?”

“I would hope that if you got a racket from Nick Kyrgios in a moment of his frustration that you’d maybe hang it up, put it up somewhere, frame it, not use it. I doubt you’d be using, ‘Oh, I’m hitting with Novak Djokovic’s racket’, which he broke in a fit of anger.”

“No, I think you’d have it like a piece of art or something. Be happy that maybe you have a racket at all, so we can both be winners. Get out the frustration, and you get the racket.”, finished McEnroe.

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Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.

In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.

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