Nick Kyrgios has not always seen eye-to-eye with Boris Becker and their latest exchange on social media serves as a perfect example of this.
The latest war of words between the two took place on Tuesday with Kyrgios hitting back at Becker who said he should show respect to previous generations of players that have paved the way for him to be in the position he is now. Becker is a six-time Grand Slam champion and the current coach of Denmark’s Holger Rune. He has also previously worked as a coach of Novak Djokovic.
“It’s simple, you have to respect the past of our sport, in addition to publicly thanking the former players,” the Geman said during an interview with Eurosport.
“You must be grateful that they existed: Without them, the tennis circus would not continue to exist. There have never been so many monetary prizes and there has never been as much publicity as there is today.
“Why? For the legends of this sport. All these players made it possible for Nick Kyrgios not to play tennis all year round and that, even so, he can make a living with this sport.”
Kyrgios saw the comments on social media platform X and decided to fire back. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has only been able to play one match this season due to injury and has withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Open.
“Bro what? I’ve been one of the FEW PLAYERS that have brought millions more fans to the sport and have made more money for everyone,” he posted.
“NETFLIX … don’t remember seeing Boris on there (the show Break Point).
“(The) guy is ridiculous. I’ve made my career off the court without the help of others.”
When challenged if he believes he generated more interest in tennis than Becker has done, the 28-year-old replied ‘no‘ before adding ‘I’ve arguably been one of the most watched players in the world outside of the Big Three in the last decade.‘ He goes on to claim that the current generation of players would ‘eat Becker alive‘ if they played him.
In another jibe, Kyrgios wrote ‘try not to hide any more assets.’ Referring to Becker’s spell in prison. He served eight months of his two-and-a-half-year sentence for hiding £2.5m worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts. Upon release, he was deported from the UK.
It is not the first time there has been a public spat between the two with one of the first incidents dating back to 2020 when Becker called Kyrgios a ‘rat’ for ‘telling off a fellow sportsman.’ That argument was related to Alexander Zverev who came under fire for attending a party despite saying he would be isolating after being in contact with a group of players who tested positive for COVID-19.
Kyrgios has won seven ATP titles so far in his career compared to Becker who won 49 between 1985-1996.
