Is Kyrgios the most overrated player in ATP?

Y

YourMajesty

New User
I used to be a big fan of Kyrgios when he started on tour. Even before all the hype, I saw him play at US Open when he was 17 and a totally new face and I was sure he was the real deal. Well after making the semis at Wimbly 3 or 4 years ago, he has done nothing at all since then. Such a great talent, but obviously no work ethics and constantly injured (likely due to poor physical conditioning). He seems to be happy to be a top 25 player. Gee, even Monfils (another clown) had enough motivation and will to reach the top 10.

It saddens me to say this but I believe Kyrgios is way overrated as a player. Sure he can blasts amazing FH and serves, but he cannot win. Federer toyed with him during the Laver Cup, it wasn't even funny. How a 37 yo player (OK, this is the GOAT but still) can make a 23 yo look slow? This is pathetic, and Kyrgios is just a curiosity on tour, an attraction due to his antics and bad attitude, not a potential great such as Zverev or Shapovalov. No wonder McEnroe selected him to play in LC, this is showtime baby, but he got trashed in no time in singles. My 2 cents.
 
YourMajesty said:
I used to be a big fan of Kyrgios when he started on tour. Even before all the hype, I saw him play at US Open when he was 17 and a totally new face and I was sure he was the real deal. Well after making the semis at Wimbly 3 or 4 years ago, he has done nothing at all since then. Such a great talent, but obviously no work ethics and constantly injured (likely due to poor physical conditioning). He seems to be happy to be a top 25 player. Gee, even Monfils (another clown) had enough motivation and will to reach the top 10.

It saddens me to say this but I believe Kyrgios is way overrated as a player. Sure he can blasts amazing FH and serves, but he cannot win. Federer toyed with him during the Laver Cup, it wasn't even funny. How a 37 yo player (OK, this is the GOAT but still) can make a 23 yo look slow? This is pathetic, and Kyrgios is just a curiosity on tour, an attraction due to his antics and bad attitude, not a potential great such as Zverev or Shapovalov. No wonder McEnroe selected him to play in LC, this is showtime baby, but he got trashed in no time in singles. My 2 cents.
Click to expand...

His peak was Wimbledon 2014.
 
YourMajesty said:
I used to be a big fan of Kyrgios when he started on tour. Even before all the hype, I saw him play at US Open when he was 17 and a totally new face and I was sure he was the real deal. Well after making the semis at Wimbly 3 or 4 years ago, he has done nothing at all since then. Such a great talent, but obviously no work ethics and constantly injured (likely due to poor physical conditioning). He seems to be happy to be a top 25 player. Gee, even Monfils (another clown) had enough motivation and will to reach the top 10.

It saddens me to say this but I believe Kyrgios is way overrated as a player. Sure he can blasts amazing FH and serves, but he cannot win. Federer toyed with him during the Laver Cup, it wasn't even funny. How a 37 yo player (OK, this is the GOAT but still) can make a 23 yo look slow? This is pathetic, and Kyrgios is just a curiosity on tour, an attraction due to his antics and bad attitude, not a potential great such as Zverev or Shapovalov. No wonder McEnroe selected him to play in LC, this is showtime baby, but he got trashed in no time in singles. My 2 cents.
Click to expand...
He made the quarters at Wimbledon 2014, not the semis
 
I wouldn’t say he’s overrated. He’s still immensely talented. I think it’s just that a lot of people now are just sick of him not having fixed up his act yet, or not doing anything to visibly show he is trying to do so either, i.e get a coach
 
He hits flashy shots and that’s about it. Very overrated.

Claim to fame was beating Nadal at Wimbledon, Rosol did that as well and did nothing after that.
 
MasterZeb said:
I wouldn’t say he’s overrated. He’s still immensely talented. I think it’s just that a lot of people now are just sick of him not having fixed up his act yet, or not doing anything visibly to show he is trying to do so either, i.e get a coach
Click to expand...

He's nowhere near the player he was a few years ago. He beat Federer and Nadal the first time he played them but his results have been worse against them with each successive meeting. His ranking is going backwards. Every indicator on his career direction is backwards.
 
He is talented but lazy. I observed that guys like Federer, Djokovic and other players at the Laver Cup were busy limbering up and exercising in preparation for their matches. Nick was just sat around the front of the court laughing and joking with the other guys on the team and cheering them on when they were playing louder than the rest. Even when he was due to play the deciding match with Djokovic he never budged from the side of the court whilst Djokovic was running and stretching away by the exercise machines. Fortunately for Nick the match was not needed but it told me all I needed to know about the difference between him and the top guys and why it is highly unlikely he will ever be a true champion.
 
I’ve been saying it all along: his return game isn’t very good and that will prevent him from being a dominant player. No amount of practice will give him an elite return game.

However, if things line up for him he can win a major, maybe even two or more. Day-in, day-out dominance is not and will never be on the table.
 
He’s a clutch server, but he’s getting exposed with his movement imo. Whether that’s related to his hip injury which is impeding him I don’t know. But also his lack of fitness. Opponents have figured out that if they can get his serve back into play they can wear him down from the baseline. Fed’s figured him out the last 2 times they’ve played now.
 
Badabing888 said:
He’s a clutch server, but he’s getting exposed with his movement imo. Whether that’s related to his hip injury which is impeding him I don’t know. But also his lack of fitness. Opponents have figured out that if they can get his serve back into play they can wear him down from the baseline. Fed’s figured him out the last 2 times they’ve played now.
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Yep, lack of fitness is unforgivable today for a pro. Nick would have been a star (maybe?) in the 80s when fitness was nowhere what it is today.
 
I think his forehand isn't what it used to be and he needs to start varying his serve placement a lot more IMO, players are reading his serve with better success than a 1-2 years ago (even though I think his Tee serve is more deadly today). His return is the usual underwhelming part of his game that is still one of the worst return games on tour stats wise, last time I checked.

I think he was playing a little more freely and not as under pressure a couple years ago. I was really hyped for him in 2016, he had some brilliant matches and whole tournaments...
 
Gifted player, but no discipline between the ears. Raw talent alone, without any efforts will only take you so far and I believe that's what we are witnessing in his case with his lack of progression or should I say regression? All results aside, physically speaking, he's quite weak/injury prone, he doesn't care about conditionning at all and that's a big no no in today's physical game, especially if you want to make deep runs anywhere. When you look at his overall game, he's got some great weapons/shot making ability that could make him a top player if he really wanted it, his return might be weak (like most players on tour), still he could work around it with proper tactic/strategy and I have no doubt it would be even better anyways if he really committed to practicing /improving. I wouldn't say Kyrgios is an overrated player, if anything he's underrated, it just happens that he's a prime example of what I would call wasted potential.
 
It's his movement and footwork that is his main weakness. He has an amazing serve and good forehand but when that serve is not clicking, like it wasn't against Federer in Laver Cup or the USO, he can't really hurt great baseliners who have a good return game. Nishikori and Federer both took him apart in the last two Slams from the baseline.
 
He is.
Monstruos serve,average baseline game.
Just because he hits two or three tweeners,doesn't mean he is talented.
 
I'm just really tired of people hyping him up as some sort of giant slayer. "He always brings his A-game against the top guys." "He loves the big stage." "He thrives in this kind of environment." etc, etc.

The guy can be scary to play, but his record against the top guys is so blown out of proportion. His one win vs Fed was on clay in 2015, since then he's 0-5 if we count the Laver Cup. His two wins against Novak came during the worst stretch of his career. He's a huge server with 2 wins against Nadal on very fast courts, so not exactly shocking there. And his only win against Andy was in 2018.

People still treat him like an 18 year old with great potential. Where any good showing is hopeful that he can put it together. He won't. This is peak Kyrgios we're seeing right now, and he can't even take a set off 37 year old Fed. It's as good as things are going to get, because his career is rapidly going to spiral out of control sooner than later once these injuries become more than just nagging pains.
 
i think there are parts of his game that he needs to work on. i know some people are convinced the only thing missing is between the ears but not so sure. then again if he is focused, perhaps the rest of his game would come to together like many want/expect.
 
If he doesn't get his act together his results will only get worse and worse. Natural athleticism (i.e., without training) basically peaks around the 19-22 range and he is already past that. After that the body starts to fade (albeit unnoticeably) until about 27-28 and then small injuries start creeping in thereafter. Kyrgios is already starting to have nagging injuries, he doesn't train enough and more importantly he hasn't trained his mind to have a champion's mentality.

This is why I fully expect Thiem to be doing quite well soon once the Big 3 are out of the way. He has had a tough path trying to break through on clay and hard courts but his trials will help him when his opportunity comes. Same for Zverev although he has his own challenges. Kyrgios is the one who I can see never winning a Slam. He's too inconsistent, both physically and mentally.
 
Not really. He is talented. He has beaten all the members of the big 4 at least once. 2-0 against Novak. Not many players can claim that.

But, he has a very annoying personality. Too cocky. Impolite. Overall ugly.
 
I think the hype has cooled accordingly, actually. He had, and still has, upside, but there is no suggestion he'll come close to capitalizing on it.

I don't hear people talk about him for big titles anymore really.
 
tennisaddict said:
25 posts in this thread and not even one has mentioned the number of injuries he has had that has derailed his career.

If he was in good physical condition, he could have been more successful
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I saw him play Robredo at the 2014 USO and he was alternately clutching his shoulder, calf, thigh and hip while muttering "What am I doing here" and "Why am I playing?" He has so many injuries he often doesn't know which one it is that's really bothering him.
 
he is best when expectations are low. so now he could start doing better since his ranking is low. even jmac has soured on him. he thinks its between the ears. but others are right. in the heart of next season he will be 24. every year a group of new teenagers enters the tour. I read once that most GS titles were won under the age of 26. this might be pre fed and nadal. but he better get a move on. i think AZ is the next player to capture multiple slams.
 
The 'peak' version that supposedly only shows up against the top players, is just him redlining. Not sustainable to win tournaments, let alone slams.
His game has gotten so serve dominant, that any player who can get him to play baseline rallies have a chance of beating him.

Even when he tries, there's still players outside the big 4 who he'll struggle to beat. Even low Tier 2 players. He's 50/50 against Raonic, and really struggles against Dimitrov and Nishikori.

He's 'only' 23 but there's been not even a hint that his game is showing improvement over his younger self. His mentality has not gotten better, and if anything his motivation has gotten worse.
I don't see him ever becoming a Slam contender.
 
YourMajesty said:
I used to be a big fan of Kyrgios when he started on tour. Even before all the hype, I saw him play at US Open when he was 17 and a totally new face and I was sure he was the real deal. Well after making the semis at Wimbly 3 or 4 years ago, he has done nothing at all since then. Such a great talent, but obviously no work ethics and constantly injured (likely due to poor physical conditioning). He seems to be happy to be a top 25 player. Gee, even Monfils (another clown) had enough motivation and will to reach the top 10.

It saddens me to say this but I believe Kyrgios is way overrated as a player. Sure he can blasts amazing FH and serves, but he cannot win. Federer toyed with him during the Laver Cup, it wasn't even funny. How a 37 yo player (OK, this is the GOAT but still) can make a 23 yo look slow? This is pathetic, and Kyrgios is just a curiosity on tour, an attraction due to his antics and bad attitude, not a potential great such as Zverev or Shapovalov. No wonder McEnroe selected him to play in LC, this is showtime baby, but he got trashed in no time in singles. My 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Zverev and Shapovalov potential greats!?!

I can't stop laughing.

Then again your judgement is p1ss poor as evidenced by this thread.
 
See if he cares...

giphy.gif
 
The boy just ain't right in the head.
He will retire with a career on par with another shotmaker and mental midget, Henri LeConte.
At least that guy made it to a slam final, something it's hard to imagine our lad Nicky doing.
 
Raindogs said:
The boy just ain't right in the head.
He will retire with a career on par with another shotmaker and mental midget, Henri LeConte.
At least that guy made it to a slam final, something it's hard to imagine our lad Nicky doing.
Click to expand...
Who's Henri LeConte though?
 
Beating Rafa at Wimbledon in 2014 gave Kyrgios the high profile he has enjoyed ever since. Since then, he hasn't achieved a great deal. In my view, his bad behaviour and tanking is a result of the pressure put on him to live up to expectations. At 23 years old, his highest ranking is #13, 2 years ago. He is fast becoming a journeyman.
 
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over-rated or not i've always liked the guy i just don't think he's cut out for a non-team sport. he talks about b-ball all the time. if tennsi were a team sport he'd probably be a hero
 
NO!

Kyrgios absolutely deserves every bit of the rating/reputation he gets for biggest DB, AH, moron, mental weakling, etc, etc...

Oh... did you mean his tennis game? Nick Kyrgios is not even interested in that...
 
Nick still is one of the only next Gen players who is a big match player. He plays better against the greats than when playing the scrubs. Hopefully someday he trains seriously and develops a decent ROS. I keep waiting for his breakout and it never comes. :(
 
giphy.gif

He lacks discipline, bias for tennis, has an average game from baseline. Thanks to a tough service is in the TOP 30.
 
Last edited:
BeatlesFan said:
To be fair, that was three years ago. Nick is still tanking on occasion, but not to this egregious extent. He's making progress. :oops:
Click to expand...
Well, but you've seen it now in LC - Fed was going in front of the match to prepare Nick in the backstage, while Nick was on the sofa at the court. No wonder the match ended with a clear win of Roger.
 
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