"Tennis is a sport of repetition, rather than the spectacular" - Toni Nadal on what holds Kyrgios back
ATPWednesday, 13 July 2022 at 03:30
Updated at Sunday, 26 January 2025 at 13:02
Nick Kyrgios played in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships final, but Toni Nadal, former coach of the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, thinks that the Australian could be even more successful in his career.
Many times, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist chooses quite untraditional ways of how to play a rally. He likes to use an underarm serve or fire the ball without any preparation.
Still, the 27-year-old Australian was able to reach a Grand Slam singles final. However, his play style is exactly what holds him back, according to Toni Nadal. The Spaniard described that in a recent column that he wrote for Spanish publication El Pais.
"In the decisive moments, he was unable to control his anxiety that, again, degenerated into constant rebukes to his team as if they were to blame for the undesired paths the scoreboard was taking for him."
"He has a bad habit of hitting too many balls in any way, basically without paying attention and in a bad position. In today’s tennis, due to the speed at which the ball goes, there is no choice but to look for a good position to have good control."
According to Toni Nadal, even though Kyrgios is able to produce spectacular rallies, his lack of consistency holds him back from achieving more success on the ATP Tour despite having the talent to do so.
"The great players measure their steps well, seek a good position, and from there, try to hit a good shot and increase the chances of victory. Nick Kyrgios, with his messy way of understanding the game, is handicapped not so much by what he does with the ball, but by the way he wants to do it."
"It is very difficult for him to achieve the continuity that requires scoring points. Tennis is a sport of repetition, rather than the spectacular."
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