Recently asked which player he might like to coach, John McEnroe responded, “Nick Kyrgios.”
Angered by McEnroe’s recent criticism of him, Kyrgios responded by saying McEnroe was “dreaming.”
But the emotional personalities got a taste of a coaching partnership at the Laver Cup, where McEnroe sat alongside Kyrgios during matches as captain of Team World, offering suggestions and encouragement.
And by his own account, Kyrgios enjoyed it.
“Yeah, we just get along pretty well,” said Kyrgios, who had a match point against Roger Federer in the event’s final match but lost, securing the inaugural Laver Cup for Team Europe. “You know, he was just telling me, just leave it all out there and it's all right to lose to a good player. I was just telling him, like, Mac, this is the way I am. It looks like this at times.”
“We were getting along well, and it was really good to have him there.”
Spending time with McEnroe behind the scenes also revealed similarities between the two, added the 22-year-old Australian.
“I actually told him, ‘You don't have the personality that I would have thought played tennis,’” said Kyrgios.
“I asked him, ‘Why did you play?’ He said, ‘You know, it’s the same reason you play. It’s because we are better at it than everything else that we do.’
“I think we can relate on many things. He's been a great help for me. I think he actually understands me, gets where I’m coming from on most things. It’s pretty refreshing having someone that actually understands where I’m coming from.”