Becker: “It is not acceptable that Novak is always the bad guy, and Roger and Rafa the good guys”

He worked with him almost daily for three years. Between late 2013 and late 2016, Boris Becker was part of Novak Djokovic’s squad as a coach, helping him win six Grand Slam titles. The German therefore knows the Serbian world number 1 well and his opinion is all the more valuable when it comes to analyzing the performance of the person concerned. He thus spoke on the occasion of the podcast “Das Gelbe vom Ball” on Eurosport Germany to decipher the defeat in the final of the US Open against Daniil Medvedev (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) of his former protege who ruined his hopes of a Grand Slam.

For Becker, it may not all have happened in New York, but in Djokovic’s summer lineup. “Originally, he didn’t want to go to Tokyo to recharge his batteries and play the usual hard preparation tournaments before the US Open. Looking back, I think it was a bit much. He is proud to be a Serb of course, and he had to represent his country. But he is also a human being. He can’t win everything, all the time, take the pressure and always be in good shape. I think he got exhausted. Perhaps he should have taken a longer break after Wimbledon, of three or four weeks. The stress of traveling, the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremony – it’s great fun, but also incredibly tiring. And there is also the question of the Golden Grand Slam …“, he estimated.

Exhausted physically, and perhaps above all mentally by all the demands. So much so that Djokovic burst into tears during the last change of sides in his final against Medvedev. If the world number 1 is not the type to hide his emotions completely, he manages almost in all circumstances to control them, or to let them spring to provoke a reaction afterwards. Like when he sometimes screams his rage to better revive himself in the next game. But this time, everything escaped him, which even surprised his former coach.

“I had never seen Novak cry on a tennis court. He must have touched his limits or even exceeded them on an emotional level. With all the expectations around him, he had to be asked every day since Wimbledon if he was going to win the Grand Slam or become the only major title record holder with 21. His speech at the trophy ceremony did not was all the more remarkable. While his eyes were still wet, he explained to New Yorkers that it was the happiest day of his life because he finally felt respected and loved. And all this the day he didn’t seize what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to win the Grand Slam.“, he noted, admiringly.

Because if Djokovic has not managed to imitate Rod Laver 52 years later, he may not have lost everything during this US Open. In any case, this is what Becker hopes, especially in the relationship that the Serbian has with tennis fans. Surpassed in popularity (except among the Serbs of course), by his rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in recent years, the world number 1 has shown a more human facet of his personality during this energetic quest in Flushing. Perhaps a turning point in his relationship with audiences around the world, and the end of an undeserved caricature, according to his former coach.

“He’s a good guy. A competitor who sometimes behaves badly on the court, but who doesn’t? The public and the media really have to be right: there are not only two but three of them who have great qualities both as players and on a human level. It is not acceptable that Novak is always the bad guy, and Roger and Rafa the good guys. It is unfair. I hope that these two weeks in New York, the finale, his speech and the reaction of the New York public will make him finally be seen in a different light.“, finally pleads the ex-champion turned consultant.