Boris Becker (56 years old, Leimen, Germany) is currently in Paris as a commentator for Eurosport and answers Morning Express’s questionnaire between analysis and analysis. The German will always be remembered for having won the first of his three Wimbledon titles at just 17 years of age – a record of precocity that has not been surpassed to this day – as well as for having left a deep mark on his sport with titles of almost every stripe. In addition to his successful time in London (1985, 1986 and 1989), he triumphed twice in Australia (1991 and 1996), once at the US Open (1989) and three times at the Masters Cup (1988, 1992 and 1995). His record also includes a double in the Davis Cup and his presence at the top of the circuit; He held the number one position for 12 weeks and, to top it off, won Olympic gold in doubles at the Barcelona Games (1992). He did so with Michael Stich, with whom he always had a strained relationship; in any case, together they beat South Africans Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval.
In the singles category, however, he failed to break through the third round. Novak Djokovic, whom he coached for a couple of years (between 2014 and 2016) has gone even further and, despite harbouring a powerful desire that pushes him to persist, has not managed to take the spoils. The Serbian won bronze in 2008, but in the three subsequent participations he left empty-handed. The last two were especially painful. In Rio 2016 he suffered one of the toughest defeats of his career, falling to Juan Martín del Potro in the first round, and leaving in tears. Then, in Tokyo, he collapsed against Alexander Zverev and, already groggy, gave in to Pablo Carreño. He now has a new opportunity – present in the quarterfinals, after yesterday’s victory against Dominik Koepfer by 7-5 and 6-… – and Becker knows well of this need to capture the Olympic prize. “For me, Novak is the clear favourite; he and Alcaraz, in that order, taking into account that Sinner is not there. He has a good chance of winning at least one medal,” he said.
Ask. Where does this deep desire come from? Do you see yourself succeeding this time?
Answer. Apart from his family, Novak loves his country more than anything in this world, and that is why the Olympics are so important to him. I think playing for Serbia gives him that extra ten percent. Look, he has won all the other titles, so the fact that he doesn’t have Olympic gold yet humanizes him.
P. This season has been difficult for him. He has not won any trophies so far, which is unusual, and he has had to undergo surgery on his knee. What do you foresee for him?
R. He is an exceptional athlete. At 37, he is incredibly fit and takes great care of himself. His diet and lifestyle are totally focused on tennis, and that is why he continues to compete as he does. But again, he is 37, so you have to take that into account. You cannot judge his form by what he did the other day against Nadal, because he played against someone who is not at his best; from now on we have to see how he does against the best in the world, like Alcaraz and Sinner. It was a great victory for him, so he must feel good about his chances, but we must not forget that there is Carlos as well.
The fact that Djokovic has not yet won Olympic gold humanizes him. For me, he is the favorite.
Djokovic has preferred to isolate himself from the Olympic splendor in his free time these days and has opted for a hotel, instead of staying in the Olympic Village. In the opposite direction, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz enjoy the day to day with the rest of the athletes. The Mallorcan (38), a year older than the Balkan, starred in a historic photo at the opening ceremony, when he collected the torch from Zinedine Zidane and got on a boat with Carl Lewis, Nadia Comaneci and Serena Williams. Nole also participated in that party, but not the Murcian (21), who chose to save his strength for the opening the next day. Some come and others go, the landscape continues to transform. Nadal faces the final stretch of his career, the physique still supports the Belgrade native – despite the knee ailment – and the young Murcian continues to write his own story, as a hinge between the era that is ending and the new era that is emerging.
P. What did you think of the image of Nadal carrying the torch?
R. I think tennis was very well represented at the opening. There were Serena, Rafa and Novak, all of them superstars of the sport, and seeing them taking countless photos with everyone makes me feel really good, because it conveys the global sense of our sport. Tennis is very popular today among all sportsmen.
P. What do you think about Nadal’s situation? How difficult must it be for someone like him to say goodbye to what he has dedicated his whole life to?
R. It’s a very personal decision. Tennis is his livelihood and something he has been doing for a long time and with such success. I think we should give him the time he needs. We are not in his shoes. He himself knows that he is not playing at the level he was a couple of years ago, but he still likes to compete. In my opinion, we should not tell him what to do.
P. And how far will Alcaraz go? Have you ever seen such a great talent at his age?
R. In my generation there were several young people who were very good. [Wilander, Edberg, Sampras, Agassi…]so I’m not surprised that someone can play tennis so well at 21. However, in today’s times it’s not common to see a player of his age winning majors on all surfaces. [tierra, hierba y dura]Sinner is only a year older than him and is also exceptional, but it is great to see Carlos playing like this, with so much charisma and with so much support from the world of sport.
It’s great to see Alcaraz playing like this, with so much charisma and with so much support from the world of sport.
Despite his short career, Alcaraz has stressed on more than one occasion the demands of the tennis calendar, which is even more difficult when it coincides with the Games. This time, if that were not enough, it forces those who have accepted the Olympic challenge to a triple change of surface: grass-clay-cement in just over a month. Immediately after the competition in Paris is decided, the North American asphalt tour will have already begun on the other side of the Atlantic and in three weeks the US Open will be played in New York. Absences due to physical problems or by choice in one or the other draw are noticeable, although, on the other hand, some stars perceive the world meeting of sportsmen as the ideal icing on the cake for their careers, such as Roger Federer (gold in doubles and silver in singles), Nadal (two golds, singles and doubles) or Andy Murray (double gold in singles and silver in mixed doubles).
P. What do you think about the Games’ fit into the tennis programme?
R. I think the importance of the Games has been growing for tennis players, but at the same time, the schedule is especially tough for them. Our season is packed with tournaments and the Games are sandwiched between Wimbledon and the US Open. It’s crazy that some players have to play tournaments right before, like Musetti, who played a final on Saturday. [en Umag, Croacia]then flew to Paris and played the first round against Monfils straight away. It’s not ideal. While the best-of-three format at the Games is easier than the five-player format, it’s still a challenge. In general, the schedule is very demanding for tennis players, probably more so than for many other athletes; they have to navigate between big tournaments with very little rest in between. Most sports don’t have such a demanding schedule.
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