Infamous on-court outburst extraordinaire John McEnroe has claimed Nick Kyrgios is in need of a psychologist to take him to the next level.
The Australian recently finished second at Wimbledon in the most successful Grand Slam performance of his career.
It was a run full of controversy and excitement, as has become commonplace for Nick Kyrgios, from his first-round antics where he spat towards a crowd member to the third round where he was labelled a ‘bully’ by opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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Even the final it's wasn't without its drama.
Either way, it'll go down as one of Wimbledon's most memorable runs in recent memory as fans from around the globe fell in love with the Aussie.
Throughout the tournament, it felt like Kyrgios’ mindset and personality was analysed more than his actual playing style at times and tennis legend John McEnroe is the latest to throw his two cents into the conversation.
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The three-time Wimbledon champion has had his own fair share of controversial moments, however, he claimed it was Kyrgios’ mental strength that cost him in the final.
He claims that a psychologist on the level of Sigmund Freud would help the Australian's game.
He told BBC Radio: “The guy is a genius out there, the way he plays.
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"He needs Sigmund Freud to come out of the grave and somehow figure out a way to keep this guy going for a couple of years because we could use him.
"It's unbelievable, he moves the needle for us in tennis. We need this big time but we don't need him to try half the time."
However, it seems the American’s comments were coming from a place of love and respect for Kyrgios.
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"He's a good kid, the players like him, he's well-liked in the locker room, he does a lot of charity work," he added.
"But he's got demons you know, in a way — we all have this fear of failure and it's a question of how you best deal with it."
At one stage during the final Kyrgios launched a foul mouth tirade at his own box of supporters and friends - a moment which McEnroe called extremely sad.
"Unfortunately, the people that you love most you take it out on, because you feel closest to them. I think we can all relate to that. But if it wasn't so sad it would be funny in a way.
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"So that part, hopefully he would look at and go, 'I don't need to do that to my dad or my girlfriend'.
"You know he's sitting there and he's obviously tortured in certain ways. (He's) unbelievably talented, very smart... a hell of a player when he wants to be."
A documentary exploring McEnroe’s own mental health during his life and career is set to be released this Friday.
Featured Image Credit: Action Plus Sports Images / Alamy. A Images / Alamy.Topics: Tennis, Australia, Nick Kyrgios, Wimbledon
