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Former world No. 4 Pat Cash has voiced his opinion on the on-court behavior of fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios, who is infamous for his frequent outbursts and contentious behavior during matches.
Speaking on the Control the Controllables podcast recently, Cash praised Kyrgios for improving his mental capacity and ability to focus in matches, which has allowed him to become a contender for Grand Slams.
"I’ve said this quite a number of years ago, I said if Nick can just improve his mental capacity to be able to focus in matches just 5% every year or 3% every year then he’ll be a contender for Grand Slams. And that’s exactly what he’s done. He’s done really well in that respect," Cash said.
When asked whether Nick Kyrgios could be seen as a "young Pat Cash," the 1987 Wimbledon champion compared his own occasional outbursts to the 28-year-old's. He emphasized that while he expressed frustration towards his coach a few times in his career, Kyrgios engaged in disrespectful behavior a lot more regularly.
"He realises that he’s never going to be perfect and he’s going to explode and lose his temper. I'm certainly someone who did that but not to the disrespect. Of course I yelled at my coach in frustration at some stage but if you ask Marcus how many times I did that, he’d be able to count on the same hand. But there wouldn’t be a set without him (Nick Kyrgios) doing it a handful of times. I did it a handful of times in my whole career," he added.
Pat Cash also drew a comparison between John McEnroe's and Nick Kyrgios' on-court behavior, stating that McEnroe pushed the limits of acceptable behavior and got away with a lot. Cash then commented on Kyrgios' tendency to play the victim, claiming that it is all in his head and that nobody is truly against him.
"I think John certainly pushed the envelope more than probably he should have, more than should have been allowed. I have no doubt about it. He got away with a lot. And Nick as well, he plays the victim very well like ‘everybody is after me and nobody likes me.’ It’s not true at all. It’s just all in his head," he said.
Nick Kyrgios has the best serve on the tour: Pat Cash
Pat Cash admitted that while he felt Nick Kyrgios' attitude was bad for the sport, he couldn't play down the entertainment value he brings with him. The former World No. 4 acknowledged Kyrgios as a brilliant player and praised his serve as the best on the tour.
“I’ve never really said he’s not good for the sport. I think he’s bad for attitudes. But people want to watch him and so do I. I mean he’s a brilliant player who will continue to do well at Wimbledon. I’m not sure about the other Slams. But the serve that he’s got, I mean it’s the best serve on the tour. It’s fascinating watching him," Cash said.
Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou previously ranked Nick Kyrgios's serve as the best in men's tennis history.
