Kyrgios ‘needs Sigmund Freud’, says McEnroe

Three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe said Tuesday that controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios "needs Sigmund Freud" to sort out the "demons" in his game.

Kyrgios carved a sometimes thrilling, often controversial path to the final at the All England Club where he lost in four sets on Sunday to Novak Djokovic.

A series of outbursts saw the 27-year-old fined and he was described as "evil" and "a bully" by third round opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas.

But there was some impressive and inventive hitting, not least in the final, where he clattered 30 aces and 62 winners in total.

"The guy is a genius out there the way he plays," McEnroe told the BBC, adding that Kyrgios needed some advice from the father of psychoanalysis.

"He needs Sigmund Freud to come out of the grave and somehow figure out a way to keep this guy going for a couple of years because we could use him.

"It's unbelievable, he moves the needle for us in tennis. We need this big time but we don't need him to try half the time."

Off court the world number 45, who has admitted to 'tanking' during matches, also faces a court hearing in Canberra next month in relation to an allegation of common assault.