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Leander Paes recently said it is very difficult to compare different eras, while mentioning Nick Kyrgios' statements regarding the matter that saw him pick up a feud with Boris Becker.
Kyrgios has come under fire for his stance that current players would defeat players from the previous generation. Former World No. 1 Boris Becker opposed the Aussie's comments and said that he needed to respect the past players as the current tennis scenario would not have been possible without them.
Paes, who got recently inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, was asked about the evolution of tennis in a media interaction in Mumbai (as per Forbes). The 50-year-old claimed that comparison across eras was 'difficult' because of a plethora of changes like the equipment, tennis ball, playing surface, and players' physical attributes:
"The equipment has changed. The playing surfaces have gone through different speeds. Right now, it's very slow. The tennis ball has changed a lot. It used to be much smaller and faster through the air, but now with the amount of felt and the pressure, they've made it a lot slower so winners can’t happen as much."
Paes added:
"But if you look at the physical attributes of the athletes, it's grown tremendously. You also look at their mental attributes—Djokovic, (Carlos) Alcaraz, (Iga) Swiatek—these are just phenomenal players. The physical and mental fitness of tennis has grown so much that it makes it the hardest sport in the world."
He also mentioned Kyrgios' statements, saying that the Aussie "stirred the pot" by saying that the likes of Becker would not be able to match up to the current standards, before reiterating that comparing eras was difficult.
"Nick Kyrgios recently stirred the pot by saying that the stars of yesteryears, like Boris Becker, wouldn't be able match up to the standards of the modern generation," Paes said.
"It's very hard to compare different eras. Some played with wooden racquets, some with graphite ones, some have played all four Grand Slams on grass, while now only one Grand Slam is on grass. So many things have changed over the years that it's very hard to compare generations," he added.
Boris Becker currently coaches Holger Rune
Boris Becker started coaching Holger Rune this October. He helped the Dane get out of his slump that had started after his run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Under Becker's tutelage, Rune reached the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors and the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters. He put up a tought fight against Novak Djokovic in the latter, before losing 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4.
Becker has confirmed that he will extend his coaching partnership with the young Dane into the 2024 season.
