mmmm8 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:59 pm
Having seen a player once or twice on a practice court doesn't convey how they really feel. Everyone has good days and bad days. I've seen a LOT of Nadal in practice, press conferences, and off court, and there are moments based on which I could have sworn he despises his job, which we know is not true.
I agree we can't always rely on what people say but Kyrgios has said it enough times that we have to at least try to take him at his word.
^Nick is known for having a blast on the practice court, and I think it is a very accurate indication of his true perspective on tennis. On the practice court, he's like a kid in a candy store. If any other player were to behave as Nick does on the practice court, everyone would say that it's incredibly obvious that this person absolutely loves the game of tennis. No question.
As far as taking Nick at his word goes... Again - how many times has he said that he "doesn't care" about tennis, about the fans, about his peers, etc.? He has said that he "doesn't care" dozens upon dozens of times. Yet he's still there. He has more than enough money to live comfortably the rest of his life. Yet he's still on the tour. Actions speak much louder than words. You don't stay in the same place if you don't care or if it's not more of a positive than a negative.
And he still gets upset with umpires, fans, peers, administrators, etc.
One doesn't become upset if one truly doesn't care. His words say that he doesn't care - but his actions repeatedly demonstrate that he does very much care. He cares too much for him to handle. I assess people on their actions, not on their mere words. I can SAY I'm the Pope. It doesn't make me the Pope.
Taking someone as complex as Nick at his word is an exercize in futility, as he constantly contradicts himself. One cannot assess someone like that in as simple a manner as taking him at his word. The situation, and the individual in question, are far, far more complex than that.
It's like the 11 year old kid in the school yard who other kids are teasing and calling him names for whatever reason. And the kid being teased constantly claims that he "doesn't care" about the teasing, and that it doesn't bother him. Then he goes home and cries because of the teasing. Of course he cares - but he wants to show a 'brave front', in the hopes that it will fool people - because he is too insecure to expose his vulnerability in showing the real effects of the teasing.
With Nick, his tantrums are the equivalent of the 11 year old going home and crying. It's an obvious sign that he does very much care. The only difference between him and the 11 year old kid is that Nick's caring is done in public - because he can't help himself. He erupts in the heat of the moment because he cares so much.
Then, after doing that, he feels he must double his efforts to show his indifference - which is nothing more than an emotional self-protection -, and so he'll not run for shots, tank sets or matches, etc. - all of which gives the well calculated message that he "doesn't care", and he'll exclaim publicly that he "doesn't care".
The reason for all of this - the root of his behaviour - is that he's a very insecure individual. As such, he is terrified of failure. The thing he fears most is trying his best and failing. THAT'S the reason he claims so often to 'not care' about tennis - and why he often does not try his best. It's because he does not want people to see him as a failure.
He knows he has enormous natural ability for the game - in terms of natural talent, he's in the same league as the players ponchi mentioned (and I would add Hischam Arazi to that list - that guy could hit any shot from anywhere on the court, but was mentally much weaker than his peers). And so if he fails with that degree of natural talent, everyone would question his talent, his mental strength, etc. And, because he is so insecure, that would devastate him, and he would feel he's a failure. And so he has decided to take control of that - he has created an image for himself as a player who "doesn't care", and, as such, who doesn't try his best. This way, when he loses, the inherent reason he lost the match is not because he's not good enough, but rather, it's because he didn't try his best - because he 'doesn't care'. And in this scenario, no-one can say that he's a failure or that he's not good enough.
The key (to him) is that he is in control of how he is perceived by people. He prefers being viewed as someone who 'doesn't care', because he knows that's not true. He knows how much he cares. But if he tried his best and failed, and then was viewed as a failure, that would hurt him tremendously because he would believe it.
Just like the 11 year old kid in the schoolyard, Nick desperately wants to be liked. And, also like the kid in the schoolyard, Nick is very insecure. And so if he tries his best and fails, and is not liked, he will be devastated - because he will be disliked based on who he really is. But if he says he "doesn't care" and doesn't try his best, and is disliked because of that, it won't really hurt him, because he knows that the persona that the people dislike is a fake persona that he fabricated, and not the genuine Nick.
Don't get me wrong - I don't like his behaviour. But, perhaps because of my history in working with troubled people, rather than merely look at the surface of Nick's behaviour and condemn it, I delve deeper and attempt to understand the reasons for his behaviour. He is not a simple man - he's very complicated. And rather troubled.
One cannot have a meaningful perspective about a complex enigma like Kyrgios without entering into a degree of psychological analysis - because he is always full of what seem to be contradictions. But it's all a well-planned design with him - one which is a rather desperate attempt to protect himself from emotional injury.