0.cached.png
By Newsweek Editors
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
It's been 20 years since Boris Becker won the first of his three Wimbledon titles, catapulting himself into the history books as not only the tournament's youngest men's winner at 17, but also its first unseeded champion. Becker stayed in the news for years, titillating tabloid readers with his on and off-court dalliances--especially his infamous broom closet liaison with Russian model Angela Ermakova at London's Nobu restaurant.
But at 37, Becker seems more settled. He retired from tennis in 1999, relocated to Switzerland after being convicted of tax evasion in his native Germany and currently pursues various business interests. This month, he is back at Wimbledon sporting fashionable suits and a funky haircut while he serves as a commentator for the British Broadcasting Corp. and the Times of London. From the rooftop of the player's lounge, he spoke with NEWSWEEK's Ginanne Brownell about grass courts and how the game has change since he won his first title. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: In your autobiography ["The Player," Transworld, 2004)] you wrote that you would have loved the chance to do everything again with the benefit of the wisdom you have now. How would you have played the last 20 years differently?
Read More on News
Boris Becker: To become a better tennis player it would have been better to have had my first win a bit later. I would have had the chance for more peace and quiet to become a better player. In hindsight everything has a reason. I have had a pretty good tennis career, but the changes I have made in the middle of my career I would have done earlier if I would have won a bit later.
How has the game changed since that time?
A lot and not that much. A lot because of the technology of the rackets [so] players can hit winners from way behind the baseline--therefore the net game is not so necessary anymore to become a top five player. It did not change because the mentality is the same [for] a top player.
Could you, in your top form, have beaten players like Roger Federer and Andy Roddick?
I think I would have given them a very hard time, especially on the grass or on the surface that suits me well like a hard court.
So who are you betting on to win in the men's finals on Sunday then?
At the moment I would put my money on Federer.
Next week the International Olympic Committee will announce whether it has chosen London, Paris, New York, Moscow or Madrid to host the 2012 Olympics. Why are you backing the London bid?
I do not officially back the London bid because I am German and I think you have to have the nationality to back anyone's bid. I did back the German bid, but we lost in the first round. Because of my involvement with Wimbledon and the relationship I have had with this tournament, I was asked me to tell the press whether Wimbledon would be a great Olympic site and there is no one better to ask than me. So that is the reason, but I am not against any other city. It is not official, but I think London would be a great site.
There seem to be no personalities in tennis anymore--no McEnroes, no Connors, no Beckers. Why has tennis gotten so serious? Is there more at stake these days?
It is a phenomenon that really started maybe 10 years ago, but I think it's about to change. It started because of the enormous media coverage of every walk, every step you took. Being observed [so] closely players wanted to cover their private life and they did not want to let everyone know about their emotions, so they became guarded. I think everyone realized that we were too strict on the rules and maybe we should loosen up some of the restrictions that are on the tennis tour. Personality-wise, I think we have a bunch of players right now who have a lot of personality. Federer is a class act, and Rafael Nadal is an interesting character. But I think mistake [was] made [in] mixing personality and bad behavior. Federer is an example for the young people. He carries himself with grace, he is very smart, he speaks four languages and he is one of the very best players of all time. He has not been married five times, he does not have any major scandals. There are others like Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick who are characters, but they are all young and we need to give them a little bit of breathing room.
Why is Wimbledon like the Oscars of tennis?
It is the oldest tournament, it is the most traditional and we are in a very traditional sport, very conservative. Wimbledon is the leader of the pack. [The English] invented the game so that is the reason. I believe the U.S. Open is important and if you have to choose between the two, you would rather win both.
Tim Henman complained last week that after the grass was changed to improve the resistance it slowed the ball down. You wrote a piece in the London Times stating that, "there remains essentially one way to play on grass and that is to be aggressive." Is the grass really to blame or was this just players' whining after losing?
They did not really change it that much. The grass plays a bit slower, but because of the technology we have I think that it was the right choice to slow it down a little bit. Yet I think if you ask an Andy Roddick how he is going play he will tell you he has to go to the net to win it. So that hasn't changed. For someone older like a Tim Henman, it has gotten more difficult because he is much better on a quicker service, so that is why he started complaining a little bit. But on the other hand you see clay courters, baseliners having a serious chance now in the championship because it is now more evenly played. It is a debate because of Tim.
What else are you up to these days?
I am very involved in German television. I have three Daimler Chrysler car dealerships in Germany and I am a major shareholder in a tennis racket company called Volkl. I am also playing championship tours now and then. Obviously I am trying to keep my private life, which seemed to be of most interest, private. Thank God I am not in the headlines, from a business point of view you do not want to be in the headlines anymore. Compared to what I have been through on Wimbledon Center Court, it is not world news what I am doing now, but I am doing what I am doing pretty well.
Does watching a Wimbledon final make you want to play in it?
Honestly speaking, no. I had 15 years in every shape and form in this game. I have had my time on Center Court and now others have it. I would not want to be a day younger. I would not want to be going through all the nightmares those young players go through. I have had my time and I am happy with my time now.
Do you feel that the crowds who come out to Wimbledon today are the same when you played?
Some claim they are rowdier and do not show the proper respect and restraint that they used to.
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines