John McEnroe seems bent on showing Nick Kyrgios who the Wimbledon alpha is

John McEnroe and Nick Kyrgios in the same broadcast booth at Wimbledon seems exciting, but there might be a small problem.
John McEnroe and Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon 2024
John McEnroe and Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon 2024 / Clive Brunskill/GettyImages
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John McEnroe was an extremely interesting player in his day as he did not mind showing a lot of emotion while winning at a high level. Many did not care for McEnroe because he was often a bit too bombastic. His language could be colorful as well and he could be verbally abusive to chair umpires.

Nick Kyrgios is a lot like McEnroe in some ways and not like the American in a more important way. Kyrgios certainly has elite-level talent with his serve, but he has never taken what skill he has and turned that into high-end success. Kyrgios has not won a tournament higher than a 500 event.

Still, he and McEnroe are both very good commentators on the sport and both are in the booth - together - during ESPN's Wimbledon coverage. Both are quite competitive as well and that likely extends beyond the court. Possibly even into the broadcast booth.

John McEnroe and Nick Kyrgios need to work through their broadcast problem

McEnroe and Kyrgios do not snipe at each other, though McEnroe appears to do his own bit of sniping with himself and others. That is partly what makes the American such a fun listen, though sometimes extremely irritating. He also has a louder tone to his voice than Kyrgios.

This, in turn, makes Kyrgios appear to be a bit shy to speak. Maybe McEnroe's intention is not to show up the Australian in any way. There is no indication that McEnroe prepares for matches any better than he ever has, which is, well...not great. The American knows the big stars of tennis, but he admits to knowing little about lesser-known players before and during matches. At least, he is honest.

Next. Some older players had great starts at Wimbledon 2024. Some older players had great starts at Wimbledon 2024. dark

But McEnroe has also been moved around from broadcaster to broadcaster over the last few years. Unlike Kyrgios who has moved around a bit too, the American has been commentating on TV for a lot more years. Kyrgios is just starting off.

Because of McEnroe's experience - and probably wanting to show ESPN he needs to continue being a long-term part of tennis broadcasts - he appears to interject his thoughts a lot more than Kyrgios. The Australian seems shockingly invisible at times, which is the last most would expect of Kyrgios. Maybe these two will find their niche over the next few broadcasts, however, because the pairing of the two should be tennis heaven.

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