Nick Kyrgios Receives Glowing Praise From Age-Old Tennis Rival

Boris Becker dishing out compliments to Nick Kyrgios, who would have thought?

Despite their frosty past, it seems tennis legend Becker has finally changed his tune about the Aussie following his stellar performances at the Australian Open.

The duo have exchanged plenty of pleasantries down the years, with Becker most recently labelling Kyrgios a "rat" after he publicly called out Alexander Zverev for breaking social distancing regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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It's pretty safe to say that the two bloke don't exactly like each other, but even Becker couldn't help but heap praise on Kyrgios after the 25-year-old captivated the country both on and off the court during the Australian Open.

And he even admits Kyrgios has the ability in his locker to win arguably the biggest Grand Slam of them all.

"Nick Kyrgios and I have had our differences but I have to say I was impressed with on-court attitude at this tournament, his five-setter with Dominic Thiem was among the matches of the fortnight," Becker wrote in his Daily Mail column.

"I have always thought that he should win Wimbledon at least once with the huge talent at his disposal. With that serve and his quick game there is so much that he could achieve. Whether he does that is going to be down to one person - Nick himself."

The fiery duo have gone back and fourth on social media in the past too.

Last year Kyrgios posted a picture on Instagram with the caption "Different breed" and Becker responded by commenting "In your dreams."

This didn't sit well with the 25-year-old Aussie, who took to Twitter to first shots straight back at the 16-time Grand Slam winner.

"He's gone from wanting to coach me, obviously for his desperate need of a pay check, to hating on my Instagram. Strange world we live in," he tweeted

Well, during his electric Australian Open run, Kyrgios certainly showed tennis fans glimpses of being a "different breed".

And it appears his old pal Becker actually agrees for once.

Topics: Tennis, Nick Kyrgios, Wimbledon, Australian Open, Twitter, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry