Friday January 14th 2022
“Believe Greater Than Ever”
Becker: Zverev can be the big winner
It is very likely that Novak Djokovic will not be able to take part in the Australian Open. This is the great opportunity for German tennis star Alexander Zverev, says Boris Becker. He trusts him to win the tournament in Melbourne. He has advice for his former protégé Djokovic.
Boris Becker trusts Alexander Zverev to win the title at the Australian Open – even in the absence of Novak Djokovic, this will remain a difficult undertaking. “Through the Djokovic saga we have forgotten the man from Mallorca, who also has a say, Rafael Nadal,” said the German tennis icon in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.
“Then there’s number two in the world, Daniil Medvedev,” Becker continued, “for me he’s almost on the same level as Djokovic.” Nevertheless, Zverev “does have a great chance of winning his first Grand Slam title and he can become number one in the world. Let’s be honest, what we didn’t necessarily assume five years ago: his great talent was known , but he did have a few flaws.”
Becker’s recommendation to Djokovic
He has now “eliminated” this, which is the result of “years of continuous work. What he can do much better now? Consistent performance.” Zverev used to “play two or three incredible games per tournament, but to win a tournament you need five wins, seven in a Grand Slam. But you can’t play your best tennis seven times, you have to win, even if you don’t like that you play well. And that’s where he grew, his belief in his own strength is greater than ever.”
Becker again recommended world number one Djokovic, who is still fighting his expulsion legally in Melbourne, to get vaccinated after the experience in Australia: “If he wants to continue concentrating on tennis, he has to make changes.” As before, however, he defended the Serbs against criticism.
Djokovic is “a wonderful character, he loves his family more than anything, he loves his home country Serbia more than anything. He has many human qualities that are not known.” He doesn’t always agree with Djokovic: “I got vaccinated, I have different political views, but we’re still very close as people.”
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