Nick Kyrgios is no stranger to controversies. Whether it has been for the on-court raging, his Twitter rants, or cut-throat comments on hot topics. He has surrounded himself with another such altercation, this time going head to head with tennis legend Boris Becker, who’s been a former World No. 1.
The Aussie has surrounded himself with another controversy. This time for making comments on Tennis’ evolution. In his statement to The Athletic, he said that many tennis legends will struggle against the modern pace at which tennis is played. He supported his statements by giving the example of Boris Becker.
“The game was so slow back then. I’ve watched Boris Becker and I’m not saying they weren’t good in their time, but to say that they would be just as good now, it’s absurd,”.
This didn’t sit well with Becker, he took to Twitter to bash Nick’s opinion. He not only responded but he aimed some personal digs at Nick as well. He questioned his legitimacy and his legacy, deeming him as just another loudmouth who couldn’t overcome others to become the best. Boris had this to say about Nick’s opinions.
The to and fro continued as Nick replied to Boris’ credibility questions in his own fashion. This time attacking Boris’ own personal finance issues.
Hahahaha this bloke speaking about credibility…… last I checked you were the one hiding assets no?
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) December 13, 2023
In an interview of his own with The Eurosport, the German explained himself further.
“We live in a democracy. Everyone can think what he wants. You have to have respect for the past and simply say ‘thank you’ out loud that these old pros existed, because without them the tennis circus would no longer exist.”
This Twitter beef extended to multiple tweets and statements over the last few days. But, Kyrgios made a final strike on Monday, when he tweeted the following:
Nick Kyrgios recounts his contribution to Tennis in a series of tweets
Nick Kyrgios, in his response to Boris Becker, lined up a series of comments and tweets defending his credibility and legitimacy as a tennis star. The first one came straight in the comments section of Boris Becker’s original tweet. Nick commented:
Also I mean I’ve beaten, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray so I feel like I have a little credibility…. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Novak would wipe the floor against you in your prime? Like it’s not an attack. It’s just facts.
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) December 13, 2023
While the above comment only had a little sauce to it, Nick doubled down on his take insisting on his presence in the Tennis world. He claimed his position as a Global star citing the amount of views his matches have garnered over the past decade.
Lastly, he capped off this tweet thread claiming that he has been at the forefront for acquiring new fans for tennis. He mentioned Netflix to dumb down on Boris’ remarks.
While these tweets were more related to the ongoing tussle between him and Boris, it is important to know that Nick hasn’t won any Singles Grand Slam. The closest he came was in the 2022 Wimbledon finals where he lost the title to Novak Djokovic. However, Kyrgios did win a Grand Slam in 2022 in the Australian Open Men’s doubles category partnering up with Thanasi Kokkinakis. In addition to that, Nick has seven ATP Tour singles titles to his name.
Nick Kyrgios has been an outstanding player for the past few years and his contribution to the game is undeniable. While his resume doesn’t reflect much in terms of accolades and titles as his rival here, he has certainly brought more eyeballs to the game of Tennis.
