By Tennis Now | Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Boris Becker branded Nick Kyrgios "a rat." Kyrgios countered the Hall of Famer "obviously isn't the sharpest tool in the shed."
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
The Adria Tour was cancelled following a cluster of coronavirus cases.
The post-Tour shots just keep coming on Twitter.
Watch: Kyrgios Calls Out Zverev
Hall of Famer Boris Becker ignited a verbal battle with Nick Kyrgios, branding the enigmatic Aussie out as "a rat" after Kyrgios called out both Adria Tour organizer Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev for their "selfiish" behavior. Several players, including Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki, contracted coronavirus after playing the charity exhibition Tour.
Kyrgios called playing the Djokovic-led Tour "a boneheaded decision" and ripped into Zverev after video of the German partying on the French Riviera emerged.
“How selfish can you be?” Kyrgios said. “If you have the audacity to f****** put out a tweet that you made your management write on your behalf, saying you are going to self-isolate for 14 days, and apologizing to the general public for putting their health at risk, at least have the audacity to stay inside for 14 days.”
Becker, who previously coached Djokovic, tweeted today he opposes "rats" and tagged Kyrgios clearly knocking the 25-year-old Aussie for his earlier criticism of Djokovic and Zverev.
"Don’t like no rats!" Becker wrote. "Anybody telling off fellow sportsman/woman is no friend of mine! Look yourself in the mirror and think your better than us... @NickKyrgios."
Initially, Kyrgios countered Becker calmly.
Former world No. 1 Becker acknowledged the danger of coronavirus before doubling down and again blasting Kyrgios as "a rat" tagging him for good measure.
"We all live in the pandemic called #Covid_19!" Becker replied. "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."
"Rats? For holding someone accountable?" Kyrgios replied. "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."
Kyrgios quickly took off the gloves, branding Becker "a bigger doughnut than I thought..." and "obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed."
When Becker tried to quell the trash talk, Kyrgios wasn't having it.
The verbal battle comes days after Kyrgios called out Djokovic and Zverev.
The world No. 40 also called out Srdjan Djokovic, Novak's father, after the elder Djokovic blamed Grigor Dimitrov for infecting the Adria Tour with coronavirus.