The tennis legend explains when emotional outbursts are beneficial in sport and why it doesn’t matter to him today to live in an apartment or a villa with a garden.
SRF: You trained the Danish tennis talent Holger Rune (ATP 7) together with Severin Lüthi until recently. Lüthi’s dismissal became public this week. What do you think?
Boris Becker: I generally don’t talk about my players. The relationship between coach and player is very private. Severin is a long-time friend who I value very much and with whom I am in close contact. He celebrated incredible success as Roger Federer’s coach. I already knew before it became public that the partnership was no longer working. But I don’t want to say anything about the reasons.
You will continue to coach the 20-year-old Holger Rune. In an interview you said: “I like his emotional outbursts.” For what reason?
In my opinion, emotions are very important as a tennis player. That has a lot to do with passion. The question is, how can this be used positively? I was also an emotional player. Because of my passion, I was able to win the third set or even a tiebreak in some cases.
You only need two things: a strong character and a good personality.
It is important to find consensus for yourself. When is it good to be emotional and when is it overdoing it? That is also the topic for Holger at the moment. This certainly also has to do with his young age. Younger players often find it more difficult to control their situation.
Legend:
Becker won six Grand Slams. His first victory in 1985 made him an overnight tennis miracle at just 17 years old.
IMAGO / LaPresse
Two years ago in the spring you were convicted by a London court of delaying insolvency. You were released from prison early at the end of 2022. What memories do you have of your time in prison?
I don’t want to talk about that anymore. This is too personal.
Then let’s talk about loneliness. Immediately after prison, you said that the first day in prison was the loneliest moment you had ever experienced. Have you survived this time because you are already familiar with loneliness from your career?
They are always just snapshots – the good and the bad. You only need two things: a strong character and a good personality. This is how you get through the high points, but also the crises. When it’s all over here, we’ll all end up in a coffin in the cemetery anyway. Everything that seemed important to us is suddenly gone.
I had every luxury you could dream of. But in those moments I was less happy.
Everyone should ask themselves the question: What do I need to be happy? What are my priorities in life? Family and children play a big role for me. It doesn’t matter whether I live in an apartment without a garden or in a large house with a garden. I know what I’m talking about: I’ve had both in my life.
In this case, were there times in your life when status symbols were too important to you?
I would not say that. I had every luxury you could dream of. But in those moments I was less happy – lonely and less with myself. My priorities have shifted. You always hear bigger, better, richer. That’s no longer important to me.
The interview was conducted by David Karasek, assisted by Géraldine Jäggi.