Popularity of Tennis uncertain in future – Boris Becker

Six-time grand slam champion, Boris Becker captured the public’s imagination with his youthful charisma and thrilling playing style during an exciting era for the sport. Becker regularly battled against a number of big players as the likes of John McEnroe, Pat Cash, Andre Agassi and drew in huge crowds.

The modern generation of male players has also strengthened the image of tennis and there are huge expectations with this year’s Wimbledon tournament, with Djokovic, Federer, Andy Murray and Nadal targeting the title. 

But Becker, who coaches Djokovic, has raised concerns about the shortage of consistent challengers outside the top four. “I think the men’s side is in a very healthy state, we have an increase in popularity from over 10 years ago and the numbers are staggering,” he said. “But the question has to be asked: what if Roger decides to quit or Rafa is not coming back? It’s impossible to carry on with only Novak and Andy.

“You have a young group of Australians – Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, who have good personalities and are interesting to watch, but there’s a gap in between of players you don’t know anything about. In two or three years’ time, we have to be careful.”

Switzerland’s world number two Federer, at the age of 33, is showing no signs of considering retirement and will target a record eighth Wimbledon title when the tournament begins on Monday, 29 June. 14-time Grand Slam winner, Nadal is only 29, but has been susceptible to injuries and is currently ranked 10th, his lowest position for more than a decade.

Boris Becker, who became renowned for his charismatic approach after winning his first of the three Wimbledon titles at the age of 17, believes the microscope of social media and intense news coverage has sterilized players’ personalities.
“Nowadays everything is so supervised and so observed and everybody is very judgmental,” he said.
“When I was playing, you could be a little bit more emotional on the court and in your private life.
“I admire very much the current crop of players and I think the big four are exceptional players with exceptional personalities, but there are so many more in tennis who cannot really show their true sides because they are so protective and so careful.”

Earlier this month, Murray issued an apology after microphones picked up bad language during his third-round win over Kyrgios at the French Open. The installation of on-court microphones at Wimbledon and other tournaments, capable of picking up every muttered expletive, has created a generation of players hamstrung by political correctness, thinks Becker.