Is Nick Kyrgios a Modern-Day McEnroe?

If you are a die-hard tennis fan, then regardless of how old you are you will definitely be acquainted with John McEnroe's famous, "You cannot be serious!" rant.

Nick Kyrgios has a long way to go before his tennis can be compared to Mcenroe's, but the 20 year old Aussie is fast earning a reputation of being a hothead, very much in the McEnroe mould. In two Wimbledon matches so far this year he has already had two on-court spats with the chair umpire.

On day 1 of Wimbledon, Kyrgios had a run-in with the chair-umpire during his first round match after a contentious line-call saw him lose a point. He was also heard shouting "dirty scum". After the match Kyrgios told the media he has no intention of changing his attitude and he's staying true to that promise. (Cut Nick Kyrgios some slack)

On Wednesday, part 2 of Kyrgios' antics played out during his 2nd round match vs Juan Monaco. He was reported by the line-judge for using foul language on court. Kyrgios of course didn't take that well. The chair umpire also had a word with the feisty Aussie to which Kyrgios responded with, "Is that a threat? Does it feel good to be up there in the chair? Do you feel strong up there in the chair?"

That Kyrgios has the same demeanour off-court as well was apparent from his post match press conference. When he was asked if he was aware of the sort of language he was using on court and how loudly he was swearing, Kyrgios said, "Yeah, I guess, yeah. I'm aware of what I'm saying."

What's unfortunate is that Kyrgios' devil-may-care attitude is overshadowing his incredible tennis talent. Last year at Wimbledon, Kyrgios was a wildcard entry and he stunned then World Number 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets in the 4th round. So far this year he has once again displayed his exceptional natural talent and sheer power-hitting. In fact after the win vs Rafa last year, John Mcenroe had said, "I think we have found the next guy in the men's game. I couldn't believe he could keep that up all match."

Kyrgios turned pro in 2013 and has already broken into the Top 30 in the singles rankings. According to his brother, his on-court attitude is what has helped his game. Christos Kyrgios has said, "He's a great bloke. One of the best blokes I know. On court he's fiery and on court he's competitive but if he wasn't that person he wouldn't be where he is today."

Kyrgios will find it hard to shed the bad boy tag. Maybe he doesn't even want to. Some though might say that this is just what international tennis needed to spice things up a little. A certain Mr McEnroe would definitely agree.