The original tennis academy star pulls no punches about the ATP's middle class

He upsets me in some ways.

What do you feel when you watch Nick Kyrgios?

ARIAS: He upsets me in some ways. What we would all give to have the game and weapons he has. When he is in a match against somebody his ego tells him he should beat, and he’s not beating them right away, he can start to tank. I don’t know if he’ll ever get out of his own way. Someone has to just tell him that you still lost. Get out there and give me an effort.

Saying that, he makes people want to watch tennis to see what he’s going to do next, and that’s something that the sport needs. From that standpoint, it’s OK, but he does bother me because I feel like he could be among the top couple of players in the world.

What’s the solution?

It seems that when he’s in a team atmosphere, like Davis Cup or Laver Cup, he puts forth a good effort. But when it’s just one on one, you don’t know what’s going to trigger him.

Speaking of team events, the dual-gender Hopman Cup appears to be a thing of the past. Will tennis regret letting this event go?