Nick Kyrgios has slammed Boris Becker in light of his recent eyebrow-raising comments about Carlos Alcaraz's development.
The German tennis great claimed on a Eurosport Germany tennis podcast that other players have become accustomed to what they needed to do to play the young Spaniard. Alcaraz has lost eight times since Wimbledon, which is a stark contrast to the first half of the season when he lost four matches.
The time period after Wimbledon was evidence that Alcaraz was not developing, according to Becker. During his "slump," Alcaraz lost three successive matches for the first time since March 2021, with the most devastating of those coming in Paris-Bercy.
While Alcaraz's productivity waned after Wimbledon - with no titles to show for his effort - it is still quite a preposterous claim by Becker. Alcaraz still forged some very strong results in the second half of the season. He came within a point of winning his fifth Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati.
He also made three more semifinals and earned a couple of Top 10 wins at the ATP Finals. Becker did raise some valid points arguing that players can have a good tournament "from time to time" but admitted that sustaining success is the real challenge.
Nick Kyrgios, who is a huge admirer of Alcaraz's style and has been keenly watching his exponential rise, has fired back at Becker. Kyrgios took to X to share his annoyance, saying that Alcaraz would "destroy" the former World No. 1 in a match.
"Annddddddd Alcaraz would DESTROY Becker….. NEXT."
Becker's comments are certainly going to light some fire in Alcaraz's belly. The Spaniard is in direct competition with Holger Rune, who is currently being coached by the German.
Rune has extended his partnership with Becker through 2024, and this rivalry between the former NextGen stars will surely add some spice and intrigue next year.
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