"Nastase might have been more crazy, but he won more": Jimmy Connors discusses Ilie Nastase and Nick Kyrgios comparison
Tennis News
Nick Kyrgios is currently off court injured and has long been a great what if story in the sport of tennis. He showed what could be by winning Washington and reaching the final of Wimbledon last year. But the doubts still remain in whether he will ever reach his peak.
Speaking on his podcast, Advantage Connors, Jimmy Connors was asked about the comparisons between the Aussie and Ilie Nastase, a multiple Grand Slam winner and similarly an entertainer who by Connors' reckoning could've been the best ever.
He believes it is a pretty good comparison at that, but one that cannot fully be side by side due to Nastase actually winning big titles.
"That's actually a pretty good comparison," he said on the Advantage Connors podcast.
"Nastase might have been a bit more crazy. But he won more. To me, Nastase should've been the best of all time, he was that talented. That good, that fast. His anticipation was beyond.
"He could not get rid of bad intentions in a hurry. He would let it fester for four or five or six games and if you do that then the sets over. All of a sudden you're having to win from behind. But Kyrgios has the talent also.
"We've talked about that a lot that if he could get that under control and he could figure out how he could work that for him as opposed to against him and get on the winning trail, how good would he be for the game. Just as Nastase was. Nastase won the US Open, French Open, he got to the finals of Wimbledon.
"But you can't do that if you're not winning. For me right now, I would pick Nastase."
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Similar in comparison to Djokovic
But also he believes the comparison is there as they are not like Novak Djokovic for instance who lives and breathes tennis.
"He's like Nastase in a lot of ways that he lets his mind wander to other things too. If you're going to be the best, you see Djokovic nothing gets in his way. He doesn't want to play basketball, he just concentrates on his tennis and winning. If you're going to be the best that you don't have to put everything into that, maybe Kyrgios is different.
"But putting all your energy into being the best important but maybe not, maybe he's satisfied with his success."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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