Boris Becker has called for Nick Kyrgios to show respect and thank tennis legends of previous generations because “without them the tennis circus would no longer exist.”
The six-time Grand Slam champion asserted that stars of the past have made it possible for Kyrgios to “virtually not play tennis at all this year and still be able to make a living from his sport.”
Becker and Kyrgios recently engaged in a war of words after the Australian took aim at retired tennis greats, including Becker and Pete Sampras.
“The game was slow back then. I watched Boris Becker and I am not saying they were not good in their time, but to say they would be just as good is absurd,” Kyrgios told The Athletic last week.
“What would Djokovic do to someone like Sampras? It would be a cleanup. If [Lleyton] Hewitt was doing it, Djokovic would destroy him. He would eat him alive.”
The German legend hit back at Kyrgios for comparing eras and his suggested the fact he has not won a Major singles title undermines his “credibility” on the topic.
Kyrgios, though, doubled down on his stance and told Becker that Djokovic “would wipe the floor against you in your prime.”
Becker has since discussed his spat with Kyrgios and stressed that the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up should appreciate the way past greats paved the way for current players.
“We live in a democracy. Everyone can think whatever they want,” the former world No 1 said on Eurosport’s Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast.
“I’ll start now with Australia. Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Ken Roach – the gladiators of the Australian tennis scene. Then I have to mention a Patrick Rafter and a Lleyton Hewitt. They were all number one and won Grand Slam tournaments.
“I’ll go further into the generational question and say: 70s, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, then Ivan Lendl came along. They made the sport popular and brought viewers in front of the television. You can see the result today.
“That’s because of the legends of old. In the 1980s, I played a bit myself, like a Stefan Edberg or a Mats Wilander. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras came along in the 90s.
https://x.com/TheBorisBecker/status/1735050575597703417?s=20
“All of these players make it possible for Kyrgios to virtually not play tennis at all this year and still be able to make a living from his sport. I got £300,000 for my first Wimbledon title. The winner of Wimbledon 2024 will receive three million.
“You have to have respect for the past players and simply say thank you out loud that these old pros existed, because without them the tennis circus would no longer exist.”
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