The Australian reflected on the changes that have taken place in tennis over the past few decades.
In full recovery, which will not allow him to return in time for the 2024 Australian Open, Nick Kyrgios has once again made the news. The oceanic surprised with some statements in which he reflected on the changes that have taken place in tennis in recent decades and on the competition that the legends of yesteryear could offer to the current protagonists of the circuit.
Name the stars like Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras or Boris Becker the Wimbledon 2022 finalist candidly commented that the speed differences and variations of the current game would allow players of this decade to easily prevail over older tennis players.
“At that time, tennis was slow. I’ve seen Boris Becker and I’m not saying they weren’t amazing in their time, but to say they would be as good as the current players is absurd. . At that time, a good service was considered to be around 197 or 200 km/h. Today there are people like me, capable of reaching 220 km/h and aiming corners with precision and consistency. It’s a completely different sport,” said the Canberra native in conversation with American media The Athletic.
Kyrgios highlights the speed of the game, but also the modern style, with more variations and options, where marked patterns like the serve and the net no longer predominate. “I’m not saying these players haven’t found their way to play today, but if you want to serve and steal all the time these days, you have to serve at 140 mph consistently. Anything less than that, you know people like Djokovic are going to eat you alive,” he commented.
Statement that he accompanied with the example of Lleyton Hewitt’s victory over Pete Sampras in defining the 2001 US Open title. “Djokovic eats you, he destroys you. Lleyton Hewitt destroyed Sampras at the US Open in the final. It was the first prototype of someone who could subtract services like that. He made Sampras look like shit. What would Djokovic do with someone like Sampras? It would be complete destruction. If Hewitt could do it, imagine Djokovic. I would eat him alive “he added.
The reflection also ended by pointing the finger at the former tennis players who comment on the circuit. “Sometimes it’s hard to see how these old bosses break down the game all the time for new fans. It’s like some of the things they say don’t make any sense. Jim Courier is really good, in the way he articulates things, but to some of these other people I say: what are you talking about? as you know it? », Confesses the Australian.
Ultimately, he admitted to feeling more comfortable in the United States than in his native country. “Here I feel more respected, over there (Australia) they don’t expect athletes to do anything other than play their sport, which is really strange. I definitely see myself coming back at some point and play at a high level again. But because of the intensity of last year for me, it was a year to balance things out,” he said.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
