The “bad boys” of tennis

Although there is a strict etiquette and a tight, well-fragmented expected behaviour in the tennis court, there are many times when we have witnessed the hot temper and the outbursts of tennis players, going against what is regarded as ‘normal’. These outbursts are more typical amongst tennis players who are generally said to be grumpy or have a more cranky personality. 

Hot-tempered players are either loved or hated by tennis fans. They are largely unpredictable and you never know what they are about to do, how they are about to behave, when they are about to burst out and how this is going to affect their game. In short, you never know how a tennis match is going to play out – which can be interesting for tennis lovers but clearly not a good thing for bettors who test their skills in online sports betting in Malaysia. 

Psychology, immersion, self-preservation and discipline are all critical factors affecting the games of tennis players. For some people, tennis is not so much different from poker when it comes to self-control or emotional control.

Being an elite, a noble and an aristocratic sport, among others, means that players are anticipated to have a certain respectful behaviour which ‘screams’ superiority. So anytime we see something against that, it immediately becomes breaking news in tennis. 

Who are the most hot-tempered tennis players? Who are the “bad boys” of the sport, responsible for many outburst moments in big tournaments? Let’s see the two angriest tennis stars, one from the old days and one from today!

John McEnroe

McEnroe is one of the most famous tennis players in the world, with 4 Grand Slams and 77 titles in ATP men’s singles (and 78 men’s doubles). The American athlete has been known for his temper and his inability – in many cases – to control his emotions and reactions in controversial moments in the tennis court. 

There are so many angry outbursts of John McEnroe in the history of his career and the well-known “You cannot be serious!”, which he shouted at the line judge at a Wimbledon match in 1981 against Tom Gullikson, has not been his ‘worst’ moment, despite the fact that it has been following him until now!

It was always about McEnroe being irritated, ready to explode any time he disagreed with the umpire or line judges. In 1990, things got out of control for the legendary tennis player, when he was actually kicked-out of the Australian Open for swearing at the tournament officials!

Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios could not be missing from the top ‘bad boys’ in tennis, especially as he is so contemporary that everybody gets to remember (or at least everybody has heard about it) his outbursts, inappropriate behaviour, smashing of rackets and swearing on the court. 

The 2022 Wimbledon match between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas is one to be remembered not only for the good tennis game, but for the heat, hostility, anger and all the tempered reaction of Kyrgios in the beginning and Tsitsipas in the end. 

Kyrgios is like a volcano ready to explode at any time during a match and fans seem to be overwhelmed by his strong, hot-tempered character. He gets to the umpires, to the opponents, to the crowd and the surprising thing is that he manages to get courts filled with spectators everytime he is on. In fact, according to recent statistics, Kyrgios is the third most watched tennis player after Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. 

The thing is that both ‘bad boys’ have a natural for tennis. Talent comes with a temper sometimes, and we should never forget that they are humans just as everybody else, with their ups and downs, their highs and lows and their outbursts. 

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