'Why would you': Legend's fresh swipe at Nick Kyrgios 'shame'
Tennis legend Boris Becker is not letting his ugly spat with Nick Kyrgios die down any time soon.
The German great was a renowned fighter on the court and he's proving that the fire in his belly still burns bright in retirement.
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Becker's social media feud with Kyrgios all started after the Aussie's very public criticism of Novak Djokovic for organising the ill-fated Adria Tour.
Kyrgios was scathing about the actions of Djokovic and several other players after they tested positive for coronavirus during the tournament set up amid the global pandemic.
The Aussie star also called out Alexander Zverev after pictures emerged of the young German out partying with a group of people, days after his involvement in the Adria Tour.
Becker took exception to the fact Kyrgios was publicly chastising players, insinuating that the 25-year-old was a "rat".
It sparked a predictably angry response from the Aussie, who labelled the tennis great a "doughnut".
We all live in the pandemic called #Covid_19 ! It’s terrible and it killed to many lives...we should protect our families/loved ones and follow the guidelines but still don’t like #rats @NickKyrgios @farfetch
— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) June 30, 2020
Rats? For holding someone accountable? Strange way to think of it champion, I’m just looking out for people. WHEN my family and families all over the world have respectfully done the right thing. And you have a goose waving his arms around, imma say something.
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 30, 2020
“Boris Becker is a bigger doughnut than I thought. Can hit a volley, obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed though,” Kyrgios said about the 52-year-old.
The initial war or words between Becker and Kyrgios came at the end of June but the German has now taken another shot at the Aussie for not travelling to New York for the US Open, which got underway on Tuesday (AEST).
Becker takes issue with players skipping US Open
Kyrgios announced in August that he was skipping the US Open due to health concerns around COVID-19, which Becker says came as little surprise to him.
“It is a shame that the likes of Nick Kyrgios are not here either but I always expected him to cancel as I doubt he really loves the game,” Becker wrote in a column for the Daily Mail.
Becker then went on to criticise other top players such as Aussie World No.1 Ash Barty, Simona Halep and Elina Svitolina for deciding to snub the grand slam tournament because of coronavirus concerns.
“No individual is bigger than the sport and we are talking about fighting for the future of the game, about saving a lot of jobs that depend on these tournaments going ahead,” he added.
“The US Tennis Association were between a rock and a hard place, and appear to have done a good job in creating the bubble and getting this on.
“If in your heart you are a competitor, and you have been starved of opportunities, why would you not be desperate to participate in one of the great events again after all this time?”
Curiously, Becker drew the line at criticising Rafael Nadal, who also opted to skip the US Open due to safety concerns around the virus.
“Some of the men are missing too, but I would exclude Rafael Nadal from criticism,” Becker added.
“He has done so much for the game and it is obvious that he wants to prepare for the postponed French Open – which has been shifted to a late September start – and give himself the best chance of winning a 20th Grand Slam.
“Given his age of 34, the problems he has had with his knees and ankles, plus the change of surface, then it makes sense for him to sit this one out and get ready for Paris.”
