It never gets quiet around Boris Becker. After being released from prison in London after seven months in mid-December (eXXpress reported), he was a commentator for “Eurosport” at the Australian Open. As part of a podcast broadcast, the six-time Grand Slam winner spoke about current tennis events. The new tennis generation is facing an “enormously high hurdle”, said Becker in the Eurosport podcast “Das Gelbe vom Ball”. It’s not just about the number of titles. “It’s one thing to win Grand Slams, the other is to represent the sport,” said the former Wimbledon champion.
Becker added: “We have or had three idols in Federer, Nadal and Djokovic who attracted not only tennis fans but sports fans in general. This has made our sport more global and richer. That’s why there is this prize money and advertising investment.” For Boris Becker it is clear: the generational change is in full swing. Roger Federer has already ended his career, with Nadal Becker sees a big question mark after the French Open. And Djokovic? “Novak Djokovic will definitely pull through this season, but if he manages the 23 titles and turns 36 next year then it’s a matter of time.” Djokovic won the Australian Open for the tenth time on Sunday.
In any case, Boris Becker is worried about his compatriot Alexander Zverev. But for the tennis icon, the problem goes far beyond tennis: “I saw the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the medal table. Nobody got upset that we were so bad,” said Becker. Then he criticized German sport: “With all due respect to all great athletes, for me it was an indictment of where German sport is today.”
