Players act like robots, Kyrgios does the opposite – The Eye of the Coach #4

In The Eye of the Coach #4, Patrick Mouratoglou explains why Nick Kyrgios is a welfare for tennis as an entertainment, why it’s good to show emotion on the court, and how the Australian really cares about tennis. Kyrgios is one of the players who fill the stadium, because of his game, but also because of his behavior.

“He’s interacting with the crowd. He’s making tennis look like a big entertainment. I hope the world of tennis, the governing bodies of tennis, hear that. That they understand what the crowd wants.”

Today in tennis stadiums, you know what to expect with a lot of players. There’s no surprise, no improvisation. For Patrick Mouratoglou, a player like Nick Kyrgios is good for tennis.

“What you can criticize in tennis is that players act a lot like robots. They do the same things during the matches. All the time and all of them. There is no emotion. There is no room for improvisation. Nick Kyrgios does the opposite.”

Kyrgios is “relaxed and he doesn’t care”

In the video, the French coach explains that players must show their emotion, their feelings, their personality on the court because “people are watching sports to feel emotions”. Patrick Mouratoglou also thinks that with his behavior, Nick Kyrgios is trying to avoid the pressure all players have on the tennis tour. But the Australian really cares about tennis.

“People think because of his behaviour, he’s not winning more. I don’t believe so. There is no bad attitude. He’s trying to explain to the entire world that he’s not interested in tennis. If he doesn’t win, he doesn’t want to win. He’s relaxed and he doesn’t care. It’s not true. But it’s a way to put pressure away. And this hurts him. Because being a top player is about dealing with the pressure”.

This video was published during the 2020 Australian Open.