NEW YORK — John McEnroe, branded the “Superbrat” by the British press during his heyday, has some words of wisdom for the modern-day tennis brat: Australia’s Nick Kyrgios.
“I hope he learns from these bonehead moves. He should be a seed already, at least 20,” McEnroe said of Kyrgios during the Australian’s 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 loss to No. 3 Andy Murray in the opening round of the US Open Tuesday night on ESPN.
“You don’t want to be remembered as a clown. You want to be remembered as a player…He’s like a Vaudeville entertainer, the schtick is getting old.”
Kyrgios made headlines for his “banged your girlfriend” comment directed at Stan Wawrinka last month in Montreal. He was suspended for 28 days from any ATP-sanctioned event and fined $25,000 for his comments, but the penalties were withheld provided he meets certain conditions over the next six months.
Kyrgios later issued an apology, but Wawrinka said he never apologized to him.
“I thought I’ve been dealing with that pretty well,” Kyrgios said after the Murray match. “Obviously it’s been tough. But I think I’ve moved on from it.”
Asked what he learned from the Wawrinka situation, Kyrgios said, “Keep your mouth shut at times.”
Against Murray, Kyrgios mixed some brilliant shot-making (including a between-the-legs shot from the baseline) with some shenanigans that set Twitter abuzz (including a whiffed leaping overhead), drawing comparisons to J.R. Smith and Dennis Rodman.
Kyrgios is the JR Smith of tennis. Bizarre moments followed by flashes of brilliance.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) September 2, 2015
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When Kyrgios attempted this half volley tweener (below), McEnroe and his colleague Chris Fowler weren’t pleased.
“Absolute stupidity by Nick,” McEnroe said. “If I was Lleyton I’d walk out.”
Lleyton Hewitt, who won earlier Tuesday in his final US Open, was sitting in Kyrgios’ player box.
The half tweeter volley was coming from Nick Kyrgios, and here it was: pic.twitter.com/LGSzPykToG
— Andrew Jerell Jones (@sluggahjells) September 2, 2015
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ESPN’s Brad Gilbert also wasn’t a fan of the half-volley choice.
I do not understand those 2 crazy shot that game from Kyrgios especially the half volley tweener at deuce
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) September 2, 2015
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It should be mentioned that Kyrgios also hit a between-the legs- shot from the baseline, too, and then followed it up by smacking a forehand winner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYt9rhCZEM8
Kyrgios also appeared to take a very brief nap courtside after the first set, which McEnroe and Fowler had fun with.
After dropping the first set, Kyrgios needed a minute. #usopen pic.twitter.com/8hdVmZatTi
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2015
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McEnroe had been friendly toward Kyrgios coming into the Open, inviting him to an event last week at his tennis academy. Kyrgios was supposed to play doubles with Rafael Nadal at the event, but the New York Post reported that he balked at the chance and the Spaniard ended up playing singles with Hewitt.
“Hopefully, I can teach him a thing or two,” McEnroe, who originated the “You cannot be serious” line, told the New York Times at his event. “Or hopefully, not teach him a thing or two.”
McEnroe seems to relate to Kyrgios and believes he could be a star, but that he is not maximizing his talents or behaving the way he needs to.
“He could be incredibly positive for our sport,” he told the Times. “He’s got a chance to be top five, win Grand Slams. But he’s rubbed people the wrong way and he’s going to get railroaded out of town if he doesn’t watch out.”
Hewitt, himself a bad boy during his prime, is also trying to serve as a mentor to his younger Australian friend.
“As a bloke, he’s pretty reserved for how you see him on the court,” Hewitt said Tuesday. “You know, he trusts me at least, which is a big step forward. Obviously I’ve been able to earn that trust being in Davis Cup teams and showing that I do care about his career.”
Photo: Getty Images
