I remember early last year Nick was asked about Zverev and he was very quick to start talking about their H2H and how he had defeated him 'comfortably' in all their matches until then. That was his first comment when asked to address the progress of Zverev
He also said in another interview later that year he wasn't going to deny he was jealous of Z for his recent results and his compromise to train as much, but that he still was leading the H2H so he had the upper hand.
I remember both those remarks, and it's clear that he does view Zverev as one of the measuring sticks for his performance, and how important H2H is for Nick. Zverev has won three of their last four matches, and has won some 1000s (however weak the fields were is irrelevant). Nick has injuries and a 250.
I'm sure all you're saying has some element in this all, and I am sure he is more than deficient in many ways character wise, but I honestly believe his issue is what I, and Alba Barragan above, are saying. It is some issue in his head to do with losing, the "I don't care enough to even really be here" is his plausible excuse card in case he loses ... He really needs a mental circuit breaker ... I dunno, maybe even start playing for Malaysia(?) where his mother comes from to escape the Australian Media, who are like feral terminator hyenas that never stop.
The way I see it is we're all in broad agreement here about Kyrgios' psychological state. I agree he has broad performance anxiety and has coping mechanisms as you describe. All I'm saying is that the Zverev rivalry really does sum it all up and given the chasm between their respective successes and work ethics (and given Kyrgios is the far better player), IMHO all this would weigh on his mind very heavily.
All this said, pretty much all tennis players have this and they learn how to cope with it fairly early on in their elite career. I've seen it written here on these boards before and I think it sums up Kyrgios well: the fact that he has made it to the top 20 with all these issues is a testament to his talents.
I sorta agree on the mental circuit-breaker. I'm Australian and I can't stand the way our media has behaved towards top players going back to Hewitt, Scud, Rafter, Tomic etc. They're desperate to rebuild the profile of the sport here with a megastar. Hewitt was nearly it but the injuries and abrasive attitude killed him. Playing for another country isn't how I'd do it. BTW I thought his Mum was Filipino but whatevs. Tennis Australia isn't the problem in the case of Tomic and Kyrgios and any other under-performing player.
I think he needs a break from the game to just work on his fitness and rehab. Like take the whole rest of the year off. Sign a steady fitness coach and tennis coach. Go travelling for a few months, rest, then around September go to work. Hell, if he really wants to pretend to think he can be a basketballer, then give that a real try and if it doesn't come off, come back to tennis. Something ridiculous like that might finally prove to him how crap his decision making is and to stop taking his talents for granted, like what reality TV hopefully has done for Tomic.
