Nick Kyrgios in awkward Boris Becker development as Australian Open role confirmed

Nick Kyrgios and German tennis legend Boris Becker are set to join forces in potentially one of the most awkward moves in recent sports broadcasting history. The pair have been involved in a years-long feud on social media but are set to make up part of Eurosport's commentary team for the upcoming Australian Open at Melbourne Park, starting on January 14.

Kyrgios used his OnlyFans platform in December to announce his withdrawal from the new year's first grand slam tournament, revealing he had come back too soon from knee surgery after missing all of 2023. However, the Aussie star will still make an appearance at Melbourne Park, albeit from the commentary box for Eurosport, as part of its Australian Open coverage.

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It will be the second foray into broadcasting for Kyrgios, who made his commentary debut for Eurosport at last year's season-ending ATP Finals in Turin - providing a unique insight into the action from a current player's perspective. Kyrgios was called out by one of his Eurosport colleagues over an unfortunate on-air slip-up but was widely commended for his commentary and analysis during his broadcasting debut.

The 28-year-old will again feature alongside a number of former players as part of Eurosport's Australian Open coverage, with six-time major winner Becker also part of the broadcaster's commentary team. Whether Kyrgios and the German great are pitted alongside one another will be intriguing for tennis fans, considering the history of bad blood between the pair.

Nick Kyrgios and Boris Becker's long-running war of words

Kyrgios famously labelled Becker a "doughnut" in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the German described him as a "rat" for taking aim at Novak Djokovic's actions during the global crisis. Kyrgios reignited the beef as recently as last month after claiming it was "absurd" for past champions like Becker to believe they would have been able to compete at ATP level in the modern game.

"The game was so slow back then," Kyrgios said at the time. "I've watched Boris Becker and I'm not saying they weren't good in their time, but to say that they would be just as good now, it's absurd. A big serve back then was like 197 to 200 (km/h).

"People like me, we serve 220 consistently, to corners. It's a whole different ball game. But serve and volley, to do it all the time now, you need to be serving 220, because if you serve anything less than 220, bro, Djokovic eats you alive."

Becker responded in kind with his own brutal shot at the Aussie on social media. "Nick makes a lot of noise about tennis lately!?! Why does he speak about a sport he apparently hates," the six-time grand slam champion wrote, referencing Kyrgios' remarks that he doesn't want to play anymore but does it for his family.

"Fact-check Nick has never won a major championship as a player or coach ... so where is any credibility coming from?' Speak to your OnlyFans about many things but [not] tennis!!!"

Kyrgios later replied: "One thing is for sure I'm not gonna be sitting here in 20-30 years time, claiming that I could compete and compare to the new kids on the block. It's definitely an ego thing."

There is clearly no love lost between the tennis identities and the fact they are part of the same commentary team for Eurosport's Australian Open coverage is certainly an eye-opening proposition. Whether they can put their differences aside and work together in a professional capacity remains to be seen, but either way it could make for some must-watch TV for tennis fans.

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