Boris Becker says the past legends of the sport made it possible for Nick Kyrgios to make a living from tennis without playing all year he told the following to Eurosport
“We live in a democracy. Everyone can think what he wants. You have to have respect for the past & simply say 'thank you' out loud that these old pros existed, because without them the tennis circus would no longer exist.”
“Let me start with Australia. Rod Laver, Ken Roswall, John Newcombe, Ken Roach - the gladiators of the Australian tennis scene. Then I have to mention Patrick Rafter & Lleyton Hewitt. They were all number one, they won Grand Slam tournaments. I go further in the generational question & say: 70s, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, then Ivan Lendl came along."
"They popularised the sport, they drew viewers to the television. You can see the result today. There has never been so much prize money, there has never been so much publicity as there is today. And that's because of the legends. I did play a bit in the 80s, but there was Edberg, Wilander. The 90s were Agassi, Sampras. All these players make it possible for Nick Kyrgios not to play tennis at all this year & still be able to make a living from tennis."
Boris Becker to Eurosport
Kyrgios replied on the Social Platform "X"
Bro what
I’ve been one of the FEW PLAYERS that have brought million more fans to the sport and have made more money for everyone
NETFLIX…. Don’t remember seeing Boris on there
guy is ridiculous. I’ve made my career off the court without the help of the others.
We will update this story as more information comes to hand.
