Mikael Ymer goes for a new attack against icons like Mats Wilander.
It makes the Swedish people see red.
Criticism is now raining down on the Swedish star.
Mikael Ymer raced on to the third round of Wimbledon, but there the journey ended in this year’s edition of the tournament for the Swede, who still had a lot of positive things to look back on. It was the first time Ymer made it this far in the storied competition, and it was also the first time he defeated a player ranked in the top ten in the world.
Ymer’s attack
But now the storm of critics is once again raining down on Ymer, after an unexpected attack on two Swedish legends. Everything is based on the fact that Ymer chose to turn down the Nordea Open in Båstad, which starts next week. Ymer, who is Sweden’s number one player, is said to have been offered “extremely much money” to play at home, but despite this he refused.
– It is true that Båstad offered me an extremely large amount of money this year. I was shocked when I saw the check but my voice and integrity are not for sale. Christer Hult (CEO) and his team can put their money up their tails. God is greatest, he said.
The statement caused icons Kent Carlsson and Mats Wilander to react. Carlsson urged Swedish tennis to completely break with Ymer, and also to remove him from the Davis Cup team. Wilander, on the other hand, thought that Ymer should play the Swedish Open, as number one in Swedish tennis. And the statements have not gone unnoticed by Ymer. In connection with Wimbledon, Ymer goes to an attention-grabbing attack on both Wilander and Carlsson.
– Kent is a play. He is a pawn on a chessboard who wants to please Christer Hult and his team. As soon as something happens about me, Kent thinks: “Oh, now I can get a front page in the newspaper so I can be Team Hult and get a badge (accreditation) in Båstad and still be relevant.” Kent ran to the media last year when I made my Zlatan statement, says Mikael Ymer according to Tennisportalen.
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Sawing now
He also went on a hard attack against Mats Wilander, and especially the statement that Ymer has become so good thanks to what he, and others, have done for Swedish tennis in the past.
– He talks about the fact that he has opened a path, if it wasn’t for him the next generation of tennis players in Sweden would not have existed. I don’t agree at all. Just look at how we are now with all the social media and you can study anyone, anytime. Djokovic has meant a thousand times more to me than Mats has ever done and ever will because Djokovic is not a sellout, says Ymer.
But there is generally not much support for Ymer’s new statements. The attention-grabbing quotes caused many to see red, and on social media the criticism against Ymer is now pouring in, as many believe that he behaves disrespectfully towards great, Swedish sportsmen.
“There are few, perhaps the only, Swedish sportsperson where you cheer on the opponents every match,” writes a user on Twitter.
Even the Norwegian tennis commentator Christer Francke reacts.
“Mikael Ymer beat a weak Taylor Fritz in the second round. Still, his tennis is an awful lot better than his behavior on and off the court,” he writes.
Several were also quick to point out that Ymer had not had a sigh against the Swedish icons Carlsson and Wilander.
“In January 1988, MikaelYmer (with his best ranking ever) was the tenth best Swede in the world ranking. He should therefore learn humility,” writes one user.
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