The German former n.1: “Jannik comes from 5 Slam finals in a row… Carlos is an artist who finally seems to have matured, even if he can give in to anyone”
Boris Becker is an attentive observer of tennis. Tireless as a television commentator, he is also in bookstores with his biography entitled “Inside. Winning, losing, starting from scratch”, published by Mondadori, in which he also talks about the difficult moments of prison. Now, Italian by adoption, he has returned to tennis permanently, telling it with the eye of someone who made history.
Boris, everyone is wondering: will we see another final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz here in Turin?
“If I take off the ‘German glasses’, I would say the chances are very high. Jannik has looked in really great shape so far, and the same goes for Carlos. The question mark for me is Zverev. He has the talent to beat both of them, especially indoors, but he needs to find his best level again.”
In the Gazzetta, a few days ago, we headlined “Bum Bum Jannik” for all the aces he served. What do you say?
“I think Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill did a fantastic job after the US Open to improve Jannik’s serve. In the summer that was the shot he was missing, especially in the final in New York: in my opinion Alcaraz had been the better player, but also the best server. The serve is the only shot in which the opponent doesn’t participate, it’s totally in your hands. Since then Jannik has changed the technique a bit, even the ball delivery is different. The big difference between the Sinner of the summer and that Nowadays it’s really about the service, and indoors this matters a lot.”
Speaking of serving: Toni Nadal claims that tennis is becoming a bit boring, because it is the only sport that starts with a penalty kick, that is, with the serve, and that something should change. Do you agree?
“I respect Toni very much, but I don’t agree with this. I think tennis is experiencing a global boom: it has never been as popular as it is now. And this is thanks to Federer, Nadal and Djokovic: those three have taken tennis to another planet. Alcaraz and Sinner are keeping it up there. What I would like to see, next year, is some other player win the Slams. So far it has almost only been Jannik and Carlos, and that says a lot about them, but it would be nice to see others enter the winner’s circle.”
In 2026, both Carlos and Jannik could complete the Career Grand Slam. Who will succeed first?
“Meanwhile, in my opinion the fact that Sinner reached the final in all four Slams has gone a bit under the radar. It’s an incredible result. He lost Paris and New York, but being in the final of four Majors in a row – actually five, if we also count the US Open the previous year – is something extraordinary, and it’s not talked about enough. For next year the question mark is always the same: will Sinner and Alcaraz still dominate? They’re young, they’re still very hungry and, at the moment, I struggle to see anyone who can change this scenario.”
In the second part of the season we saw a very solid Alcaraz in every part of the game, even mentally. In your opinion, has he made the definitive transition from “boy” to adult player?
“I have always seen Alcaraz as a tennis artist. And artists can be moody: they have great days and bad days. I always thought that, at his best, Carlos was stronger than anyone, but on bad days he could also lose to players of a much lower level. This year that inconstancy has practically disappeared. He has matured. He deserves to be number 1, even if the fight is very close, because overall he has been the best player: his consistency has gone up a level. Jannik’s great strength it has always been continuity; Carlos worked a lot on this aspect, and he reaped the rewards.”
The top two players in the world are rivals and friends: have you ever been friends with one of your great rivals?
“In our era we weren’t friends. This thing didn’t really exist. Imagine me being friends with McEnroe or Lendl… impossible. (Laughs, ed.) I got along with Stefan Edberg, I respected him a lot, but it wasn’t like today. In my opinion, the theme of friendship between rivals changed with Federer and Nadal. They were the ones who transformed the way in which two great opponents behave towards each other, and it was a good thing: an excellent example for young people. I find it beautiful that Sinner and Alcaraz have this chemistry off the pitch: you can sense the great mutual respect, they like each other, they have no problems doing things together. Yet on the pitch they are fierce rivals. It’s a positive model for the new generation.”
And further into the future, who might fit into their idyll?
“I hope that Sascha Zverev, before the end of his career, manages to win at least one Slam. He has the talent to do it. Then we’ll have to wait for the next generation. I’m thinking of guys like Joao Fonseca, of an Italian like Lorenzo Musetti, of Jack Draper if he’s intact, of Ben Shelton… In my opinion they’re still a little far from that level, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them win a Major in the future.” He said about Musetti: he arrived here practically cooked after eight consecutive weeks on the pitch. Can it remain permanently in the Top 5 next year?
“I think he made a real leap in quality here: first participation in the ATP Finals, first entry into the Top 10. I felt sorry for him, because against Alcaraz he was clearly low on energy, without legs. But I still see him growing. I don’t think that number 7 in the world is the arrival point for Lorenzo. Yes, I think he can get to the top 5.”
We are at the last tournament of the year, there is talk of a too compressed calendar, but from 2028 there will also be another Masters 1000 in Saudi Arabia: what do you think?
“There are many tournaments, that’s for sure. In the end it’s up to the players to decide how many weeks they want to play in a row. But it’s difficult for the fans to follow tennis every week, it can become confusing. Sometimes there are two tournaments at the same time, and especially in the second part of the year, when everyone is trying to qualify for the Finals, the situation becomes complicated. I think there is too much tennis. The public should “be a little hungry”: if there is tennis every week, the offer becomes saturated. For the players it is an opportunity to always work, but for the fans and the media it’s really a lot, perhaps too much.”
And it’s not over: next week there are the Davis Finals, with Italy defending the title and its Germany. How do you see it?
“I will go to Bologna for the ceremony in honor of Niki Pilic, and I will lead the German team. We are finally back competing for the Salad Bowl. And I will say more: with Zverev and a solid double like Krawietz-Puetz I think Germany is the team to beat.” Word of Bum Bum.
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