Nick Kyrgios says he doesn’t remember watching Boris Becker on Netflix. And he’s right. The German is a failure, because not being part of the cast of Break Point, the best thing that can happen to you in tennis, is a failure.
Nick Kyrgios says his serve constantly flies at 220 kilometres per hour and lands in the far corners of the serving rectangle. And he’s right, Boris Becker’s serves in the ’90s flew at a slower speed. That they helped him win six Grand Slam titles, two Davis Cups and become world number one is a minor anecdote.
Nick Kyrgios says he is one of the few players who has brought millions of fans to tennis and made more money for everyone. And he is right, it is widely known that the Australian donates part of his earnings from tournaments, sponsorships and exhibitions to the rest of his colleagues.
Nick Kyrgios says that to say that Boris Becker would be as good in 2023 as he was in 1985 and 1986, when he won Wimbledon at 17 and 18, is absurd – and he’s right, or does anyone doubt that the Nick Kyrgios of 17 was better than the Becker of 17?
Kyrgios is right about a lot of things, also about the purpose he makes for himself in “20 or 30 years”. He doesn’t want to be around then comparing himself “with the new kids in the sport”. It is, he says, “a question of ego”.
But no, he can’t be right about this, Kyrgios must be wrong. Or can anyone believe that ego plays any part in this whole debate?
