‘He Treats Them Like Dirt’ – Brashy Nick Kyrgios ‘Belittling’ ATP Officials Was Once Labeled to Put Even John McEnroe to Shame

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has earned himself a bad name because of his on-field antics. While it is entertaining to many, others simply don’t like it. The behavior on the court draws eery similarities to the way John McEnroe used to behave in his playing days.

The American was famous for his anger on the court. He used to fight with umpires and his opponents just as Kyrgios does now. However, as per senior tennis official Richard Ings, Kyrgios is one step ahead of McEnroe as well. Here’s what he said.

Nick Kyrgios is worse than McEnroe in behavior

Back in 2019, a senior tennis official Richard Ings spoke about the similarity in the way Nick Kyrgios behaves on the court to the way McEnroe did in his playing days. While the common thing in both is that they get angry and create a scene, unlike Kyrgios, McEnroe was never disrespectful to officials. Here’s what Ings said in his interview with ABC News.

“He treats them like dirt, and that is really unacceptable. I never found him (McEnroe) to be threatening, I never found him to be belittling. I just found him to get quite angry from time to time.”

Ings further added, ” Nick Kyrgios by comparison really belittles the officials. This is extremely rare in professional tennis, even taking John McEnroe’s history into account.”

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Over the years, technology has advanced. It also has reduced the minor errors that umpires used to commit. While in earlier days, these mistakes were common, which got someone like McEnroe very angry. However, the same is not the case for modern-generation players like Nick Kyrgios.

While the Aussie receives a lot of flack for his behavior, McEnroe is of the belief that his playing style is good for tennis.

John McEnroe backs under fire Kyrgios

Even though there are people who hate Kyrgios for the way he plays and behaves, McEnroe is a fan. The American recently said that Kyrgios’ electrifying style of play brings in a lot of new tennis fans. This, in a way, is good for tennis.

However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion wants to see Kyrgios win a Grand Slam title. Although he came close earlier this year, the Australian is yet to win his first Major title. As per McEnroe, the biggest disadvantage for Kyrgios is that he is afraid of failing. This, in a way, stops him from giving his best.

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Can Kyrgios end his Grand Slam drought this year? Let us know in the comments.