"Without them the tennis circus would no longer exist": Boris Becker urges Nick Kyrgios to show respect for tennis legends in addressing feud

Former world number one Boris Becker has urged Australia’s Nick Kyrgios to respect the legends of the past.

The 28-year-old is famous for being outspoken which has led to severe criticism from some former players as well as from the fans on social media as well.

Kyrgios recently took a dig at former players including Becker in an interview where he stated: “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,” he said.

Becker in a recent interview urged Kyrgios to respect the players of the past as according to him, they are the reason why the former world number 10 is still making a living out of the sport without playing for nearly 12 months.

“We live in a democracy. Everyone can think whatever they want,” six-time Grand Slam winner said. “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.

“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.”