Toni Nadal’s scathing assessment of Nick Kyrgios’ tactics: ‘He has a messy way of understanding the game’

Wimbledon
Nick Kyrgios reacts

Bad habits, a lack of aggressiveness and a “messy understanding of the game” are just some of the reasons why Nick Kyrgios can’t take his tennis to the next level, according to Toni Nadal.

Kyrgios played in his maiden Grand Slam final on Sunday, but went down in a four sets against Novak Djokovic in a Wimbledon final that Nadal believes “lacked great brilliance”.

The Australian won the opening set with some excellent tennis, but lost his way as Djokovic won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) to secure a seventh Wimbledon title and 21st major trophy.

While Kyrgios has received praise for putting together six match-winning displays to reach the final, Nadal is far from impressed with the 27-year-old’s tennis as he highlighted why the world No 45 lacks consistency.

“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,” the Spaniard, the former coach and nephew of 220time Grand Slam winner Rafael, wrote El Pais, as translated by Eurosport.

“The match lacked great brilliance, mainly because there were too many unplayable points. The lack of perseverance of the Australian, especially in regards to maintaining his aggressiveness, revealed the main problem that, in my opinion, his game possesses.

“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.

“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.”

Nick Kyrgios Toni Nadal

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