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‘A culture shift’: The new habit our tennis stars deserve praise for

Nick Kyrgios is often temperamental on court.

Nick Kyrgios is often temperamental on court. Photo: Getty

Day six of the 2018 edition of Wimbledon will not be remembered fondly by Australian tennis fans.

All five Aussies remaining in the draw were defeated, with Nick Kyrgios, Alex De Minaur, Ash Barty and Daria Gavrilova all beaten convincingly, leaving Matthew Ebden, against Frenchman Gilles Simon, the only player to win a set.

But the raw and honest post-match reactions of both Kyrgios and Gavrilova were particularly encouraging, according to leading sports psychologists.

Kyrgios spoke about how he “panicked” in a heavy loss to Kei Nishikori and that he battled “a lot of nerves” and “never settled”, while Gavrilova revealed she “played scared” in her surprise defeat to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

“I think mentally I wanted it too much, and I played scared. I didn’t go after my shots … I just have to go after it and, yeah, overcome my fears,” she said.

Many sporting teams are tapping into the power of vulnerability at the moment and Dane Barclay, of Melbourne’s The Performance & Sports Psychology Clinic, told The New Daily that Kyrgios and Gavrilova should be lauded for their honesty.

He also said it felt like a new direction for sportspeople to take – and one that should be encouraged.

“It seems like a culture shift,” he said.

“It is fantastic they have been vulnerable about real experience. Being authentic holds them in good stead, rather than coming up with other reasons.

“Anxiety, stress, pressure is there for athletes and it is beneficial for them to work with it.

“These are legitimate reasons and there’s so much pressure on those involved in elite sport.”

Asked if he thought whether the honesty would resonate with the public, Barclay added: “You’d hope so. I’d like to think society has evolved, particularly in the past five years.

“There’s a fraction of society who might have that old-school mentality of ‘harden up’.

“But comments like those [from Kyrgios and Gavrilova] are significant in a positive way.”

Kyrgios and Gavrilova not the only ones

Dr Clive Jones, an expert in sports psychology from Queensland’s Bond University, said nerves and anxiety affect every athlete.

“For them [Nick and Daria] to speak so openly and honestly, it is great,” he told The New Daily.

“The question is how will the general public react?

“Athletes are dealing with this all the time, whether they voice it or not. Every athlete faces it. Everyone.

Daria Gavrilova

Gavrilova won just four games against Sasnovich. Photo: Getty

“Some people get anxious speaking in front of a group of 10 people … these two are playing on international TV in front of millions of people.”

Dr Jones added that he did not see Kyrgios or Gavrilova’s issues on court as a “major issue”, insistent that the mind – just like the body  – needs training.

“People can be in and out of form physically and it’s the same with your mental state,” he said.

“In tennis, a player might do some work on arm strength or speed across the court and they will go to a specialist for extra work. This is no different – it just needs some refining.

“People have good and bad days physically and mentally, and it’s great that they were able to share that.

“It is very common for athletes to do mind training. I am seeing athletes on a weekly basis, building mental form. We focus on mindset and emotional state.

“It’s about perspective and about building a sense of flow between the mind and body.”

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