Swimming great Dawn Fraser says sorry to Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic for 'racist' comments

Australian Olympic swimming great Dawn Fraser has "unreservedly apologised" yesterday for her comments in which she suggested that tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic should set a better example or go back to where their parents came from.

Fraser, who won eight Olympic medals including four golds, was speaking in an interview on Australian television yesterday, when asked about recent petulant behaviour by Kyrgios and Tomic.

The 77-year-old Fraser said: "They should be setting a better example for the younger generation of this great country of ours.

"If they don't like it, go back to where their fathers or their parents came from."

Australia-born Kyrgios has a Greek-born father and Malaysian-born mother while Tomic was born in Germany to a Croatian father and Bosnian mother. Tomic's family migrated to Australia when he was three.

Fraser's comments provoked a social media storm and, after first defending herself against charges of bigotry, she later issued a statement apologising to Kyrgios and Tomic.