Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has lent his support behind the potential idea of John McEnroe collaborating with Australian No.2 Nick Kyrgios.
McEnroe has been outspoken about Kyrgios’ performance on the tour during this year. In June he described the world No.30 as a ‘breath of fresh air‘ for the tour before speaking more abruptly about him later on in the year. Shortly after his first round loss to Andy Murray at the US Open, the former world No.1 called the 20-year-old ‘a bonehead’ in regards to his choice of shot-making during that particular match.
“I hope he learns from these bonehead moves. He should be a seed already, at least 20. You don’t want to be remembered as a clown. You want to be remembered as a player”. McEnroe said during this year’s US Open.
“So he better step up. Otherwise, he won’t be talked about too much. He thinks he’s a vaudeville entertainer. I don’t know what’s going on here.”
Similar to the Australian, McEnroe was known for his fiery and at times controversial performance on the court during his career. The American is famous for using the catchphrase ‘you cannot be serious, that ball was on the line’ during an argument with the umpire at the 1981 Wimbledon Championships. The similarity between the two has been spoken about by McEnroe, who has said that Kyrgios reminds him of himself. In November the American also indicated that he would be prepared to work support Kyrgios if he was asked.
It is not the first time that McEnroe has spoken openly about wanting to work with a player on the tour. Shortly after Andy Murray ended his collaboration with Ivan Lendl in 2014, the 7-time Grand Slam champion expressed his interest in working with the Brit.
The idea of a McEnroe-Kyrgios partnership has been welcomed by former world No.4 Pat Cash. During a recent interview with Australian Media, Cash said that taking advice from somebody who has been in a similar situation would would benefit Kyrgios.
“He’s been there, done that, been on the end of it,” Cash said.
“I saw John just last week, interviewed him on stage at a function actually, and I know he’s a big fan of Nick.
“John would be a good person to take advice from”.
During the interview Cash admitted that he had no idea what the youngster was aiming to achieve on the tour, whether it was top 5 or world No.1. The 50-year-old did however speak about what he would do if he coached Kyrgios.
“If I was coaching him, I’d be trying to get him ready to consistent enough to win the seven successive matches you need to, to win a Grand Slam, and if you become top five in the world that is a bonus.” Cash said.
Kyrgios and McEnroe will meet each other next month at a fast 4 exhibition event in Sydney, Australia. Fast 4 is a quick format of tennis. The exhibition will consist of two teams, Australian and the world. This means that the two men could play against each other at the event.
