Martina Navratilova endorses Boris Becker hitting out at Nick Kyrgios over comments comparing tennis generations
Martina Navratilova has signaled her support for Boris Becker's scathing criticism of Nick Kyrgios' comments on past tennis greats.
Kyrgios recently stirred controversy by suggesting that past legends like Becker and Pete Sampras would struggle to compete in today's game due to the "slow" nature of the sport during their era.
Becker did not take kindly to the Australian's comments, launching a scathing criticism on social media. He questioned Kyrgios' credibility by citing his lack of a Grand Slam singles title, as a player or a coach.
"Nick makes a lot of noise about tennis lately!?! Why does he speak about a sport he apparently hates …fact-check Nick has never won a major championship as a player or coach( yes doubles 1) so where is any credibility coming from?" Boris Becker posted on X.
The six-time Grand Slam champion also admonished Kyrgios for trying to compare players from different eras.
"Trying to compare generations… Laver v Federer , Borg v Nadal , Sampras v Djokovic!?! I am not even gonna mention McEnroe,Conners ,Lendl Agassi , Courier, Edberg, Wilander ,Kuerten, Bruguera , Rafter , Hewitt and many more …speak to your @OnlyFans about many things but tennis," he added.
Martina Navratilova reposted Boris Becker's comments on X (formerly Twitter), indicating her agreement with his criticism of the Australian's remarks.
Kyrgios and Becker's dispute escalated when the Australian hit back at the German, firing off a heated social media tirade to counter the former World No. 1's remarks.
Boris Becker: "All these players make it possible for Nick Kyrgios not to play tennis at all this year and still be able to make a living"
In a recent interview with Eurosport, Boris Becker highlighted the importance of players showing respect and gratitude to the previous generation, emphasizing that the sport owes its existence to the contributions of past players.
"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," he said.
The former World No. 1 went on to say that the previous generation of players had paved the way for Nick Kyrgios to sustain himself financially, despite barely competing on the tour this season.
"All these players make it possible for Nick Kyrgios not to play tennis at all this year and still be able to make a living from tennis," he added.
Kyrgios took issue with Becker's comments once more, arguing that he had attracted millions of fans to the sport and had generated more money for all players.