Creating a racket undermines tennis greats

Tennis players with a "me against the world" attitude are hampering their own success, says a University of Queensland sports coaching expert. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences lecturer Bob Crudgington - who has coached athletes to medals at two Olympics - made the comments as the "bad boy" antics of young Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon continue to draw criticism. Novak Djokovic sealed victory in Sunday's Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, while Kyrgios and former number one and fellow Australian Pat Rafter traded barbs in the media "Top players can be passionate and feel they have received a bad decision, but generally they have the emotional skills to get over it quickly and move on," Mr Crudgington said. "A 'me against the world' mentality that some players carry is not conducive to winning at the highest level. "Few players reach Kyrgios's heights and face the resulting on and off-court pressures. The intensity of those pressures can be unexpected. "Fortunately, like other skill sets, mental approach can be improved." All sports had players with poor behaviour, Mr Crudgington said, but those in tennis were highlighted due to being on court for sustained periods of time.