Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge has defended Nick Kyrgios's controversial underarm serves, despite the tactic being condemned by some rival players and fans.
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Woodbridge said he had been fascinated by the level of conjecture over Kyrgios's decision to serve underarm during matches against Rafael Nadal in Acapulco and Serbian Duan Lajovic at the Miami Open.
Nadal, one the sport's greatest, was infuriated when Kyrgios caught him off guard in their recent clash.
Woodbridge, a 22-time grand slam winner, said he had no issue with the tactic if Kyrgios used it sparingly.
"It's interesting in that it's a tactic that you don't want to overuse because I think you'll find you lose more points than you'll win, but when [Kyrgios] used it, it was clear thinking, it was good timing and it did break up the play and the rhythm," Woodbridge said.
"That's what you've got to do in any sport to get a tactical advantage and it's certainly within every boundary of the rules."
Kyrgios has a reputation for being colourful on and off the court but is yet to find the balance between passion and craftiness.
His on-court demeanour can often be divisive but he broke through for one of the biggest wins of his career when he claimed the Mexican Open title.
"Nick is always going to be Nick, and when he's on and he plays well, we've seen what he's capable of," Woodbridge said.
"He wins Acapulco, beating a strong list of players that week, including Nadal. It's about consistency from here on in.
"If he can get consistency with his quality then there is talk, yes, he can do well at majors but now he has to really work on trying to find that."
Kyrgios is back in Canberra, playing a game of basketball with his mates while he takes a break from the ATP circuit.
Woodbridge said Kyrgios' ongoing connection to his local tennis club showed the importance of the club environment and was a good way to promote the sport.
Kyrgios will use his time at home to rejuvenate before his French Open and Wimbledon campaigns.
"He comes back and he goes to the local tennis club and he gets around a lot of the kids here in Canberra and he really tries to promote the sport," Woodbridge said.
Woodbridge was in Canberra on Tuesday to announce $200,000 of federal government funding for a booking system that allows people to pay for casual tennis court access online.
The Campbell Tennis Club became the 17th club to install the system in Canberra.
More than 100 Canberra courts are already available on the system.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
