“Could have beaten him”
Boris Becker declares war on Djokovic
7/5/2023 1:16 p.m
Novak Djokovic is the big favorite to win Wimbledon. Boris Becker would also “never bet against Djokovic”, he says and praises his former protégé. At the same time, the 55-year-old says he knows someone who could beat him: Boris Becker from back then.
Grand Slam record champion Novak Djokovic is currently the outstanding tennis professional on grass – but at his best, Boris Becker would have expected good chances against the Serbs. “My game against him would have involved a lot of risk, but I could have beaten him on grass,” said the three-time Wimbledon winner of “Sport Bild”.
“I wouldn’t have had a chance against him on sand,” said Becker, who trained seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic from 2013 to 2016: “But on grass and indoors I would have played the way I just played – with a lot a lot of pressure and power. I would have tried to play the game very quickly and give him little time.”
For Becker, too, Djokovic is the big favorite to win the current 136th All England Championships in Wimbledon, with another title he would draw level with record winner Roger Federer (8 titles). “I would never bet against Djokovic,” said the German tennis idol.
Djokovic’s “greatest talent” is “that he can adapt to any player,” Becker continued: “I like to compare him to water – water finds its way, it’s almost impossible to stop it. The same goes for Djokovic: if he bit into a game, you as an opponent can no longer get out of the whirlpool.” On the tennis tour, the 23-time Grand Slam winner is “the greatest competitor of all”.
Becker himself cannot be present at Wimbledon. The reason is that he is currently not allowed to enter England after his prison sentence for providing false information in the insolvency proceedings. The 55-year-old will therefore follow the tournament in front of the television.