Boris Becker recently spoke to Swiss paper Tages Anzeiger about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (my Google-assisted translation):
Q: Boris Becker, do you believe in the comeback of Rafael Nadal?
Yes, he could still be dangerous to Federer this season. Although Roger on hard courts is unlikely to be beat.
Q: Nadal wants to attack in August at the Montreal Masters. He doesn’t need to protect his knees?
The knees aren’t the problem. Nadal has been injured in the head since his collapse in Paris. The early loss at the French Open completely demoralized him.
Q: Do you mean that Nadal is doubting himself for the first time?
Yes. He had never lost before in Paris. The feeling of being unbeatable is gone. But he should have slowly digested it by now and be able to fight for the number 1 ranking again.
Q: Thanks to the 15th Major title at Wimbledon, Federer is again at the top. What did you say to him?
We met at the BBC’s highlight show in London. First I congratulated him, then I asked him some questions during the broadcast.
Q: What did you ask?
I said: Roger, you’ve achieved everything. How to continue? At first he didn’t know how to answer me. Then I asked: After all the victories, what motivates you now? He just said he needed to absorb his success first.
Q: Federer will soon be a father. Is it an extra boost?
Absolutely. The birth of his child will prolong his career. It was the case for me.
Q: Is the time right?
Roger at 27 is no longer at the youngest age for tennis. He wants his child to experience watching him on the court. He has the perfect plan.
Q: This perfection both on and off the court makes him a bore to some people.
I believe the contrary. He is a spectacular person. He is smart, cultured, always relaxed, even speaks four languages fluently.
Q: He has no scandals.
Yes, but that doesn’t make him a bore.He is the best ambassador for tennis in general.
Boris “Boom Boom in the Broomcloset” Becker knows something about scandals. I guess he doesn’t wish his tabloid lifestyle on anyone else! I’m not sure what to make of his Rafa diagnosis, though. No doubt Nadal’s feeling less confident than he was a few months ago, but I think it’s wrong to discount his very real physical problems. If anything, the injury would exacerbate a lack of confidence.
If you missed Becker’s BBC interview with Federer, here it is:
Anyone else counting the days until Montreal begins?
Tags: Boris Becker, Federer, Nadal, rogers cup, tennis, Wimbledon
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I think that Rafa’s far tougher mentally than Becker’s giving him credit for! But we’ll have to wait for Montreal to see how his time off from tennis, while he recovered from his injuries (physical and/or mental) has helped or not helped him.
I agree that I think Rafa is tougher mentally. Injuries and be debilitating. It is not like he didn’t want to play Wimbledon, it seemed like he really did want to play but he had to listen to his advisors.
I agree
I think Rafa has done it before – he missed parts of the 2006 season due to an injury – and came back strong. he will do it again. I hate how the media (and Becker is part of that scene now) always exaggerate and dramatize everything that happens. Everything gets so blown out of porportion – Roger was the perfect example for over a year, now they are doing it to Nadal. They put the players on a pedestal and exaggerate their dominance (“unbeatable”, “best ever”, etc.) only to pounce on any losses and failures, so that the story of a comeback can be sold as even more sensational.
i couldn’t agree more.
i think Nadal, although i don’t like his tennis style, is probably one of the mentally strongest athletes the wourld has ever seen, and i’m pretty sure he’ll be back on track by the end of the summer. if his knees are better i would say he has a good shot of making it to the US final.
i really hope to see Fed-Nadal final cos i think Fed has to improve his poor record against Rafa and also it could be the perfect ending to a dream grand-slam season…
I agree. The media tend to exaggerate “conditions” either Rafa or Roger. I believe Rafa to have a strong mental attitude, and with renewed physical health, he will be strong. He does not have competition for last 2 months which is a disadvantage. However with his spirit, he will do his best, whatever that produces. That is all anyone can do. He never said he was invincible – more media hype.
remember after the Wimbledon final last year, or after the Australian Open this year, when former players started saying that maybe Roger should retire, or that he would never win another slam? Remember?
Now a similar thing is happening to Rafa (though to a lesser extent since Rafa’s younger). You lose a few matches you could’ve won and suddenly people start to doubt you.
Ah Boris …
I think Becker was just trying to be sensational by saying that about Rafa as these old pros can be want to do. On the US coverage of Wimbledon they were talking about Nadal being crushed by his parents splitting up, so the reality of his situation could be the perfect storm of physical and mental. To me he never looked quite like his devastating clay self at any point during the clay season (despite all the wins — they weren’t that convincing), and there was speculation about his parents going all the way back to the AO where his mother wasn’t present but his father was, and then after his comments about “personal” problems after his loss in Miami. Anyway I think he’ll play himself back into form but I wouldn’t bet on him making the US Open final.
having federer and nadal playing at their best at the same time will always benefit the game of tennis, so it would be good to see that happen in the coming weeks leading to the us open. it’s unfortunate that nadal is dealing with physical, mental and emotional challenges, but that’s life, you never know what’s going to happen. often the difficult times are when you grow and learn the most about yourself and what you’re capable of.
nadal is unbelievably strong, so no doubt he will come back and be a tough competitor again. after all, federer recently said that if he could have certain attributes from the best players, he’d take nadal’s forehand and his mental toughness! i think counting nadal out is almost like counting fed out. look at what fed accomplished in just a few months- from smashing the racquet and being frustrated with his game in miami, glad the hardcourt season was over to winning the FO and getting to 15! anything can happen, but you’ve got to give the edge to fed at the moment against anyone- his confidence is huge!
ff, thanks for giving us another excuse to watch that great interview again!
It seems to me that Nadal has pretty consistently shown enormous mental strength, so Becker’s statements about his “injuries” being entirely mental seem curious.
While I do not think Federer is necessarily a “bore,” his personal characteristics and abilities such as being mulitlingual and “cultured” do not resonate with a large body of newer tennis fans from many different places/ages. I have missed the kind of energy and variety Nadal brings to the game – I do hope he remains healthy and able to play for many years to come.
I am sure that Nadal is fine. The media ALWAYS glamorize and romanticize sports like the “conquering hero” and “having tremendous fortitude” and “overcoming the odds”. You know, a COMEBACK.
I am sure that Rafa is fine both physically and mentally. He is only 23 years old. The media ALWAYS glamorize and romanticize. You know “overcoming adversity”, “beating the odds”, the “conquering hero” “dethroning the king”.
I’m not paying any attention to gloom and doom predictions about how Rafa has been mentally damaged. He doesn’t feel unbeatable anymore? I sincerely doubt he ever did. Every tennis player knows you can’t win every match. Is there any player more mentally strong than Nadal (ok maybe Serena)? I don’t think so. As long as his body doesn’t break down, Nadal will be out there fighting for his next major title. Becker is just wrong here, I think. Wrong, wrong, wrong
Still has a few more grand slams in him.
Check out whether he should retire