Boris Becker: We should question the quality and the attitude of everybody under 28

As the wait goes on for the younger players to take over the Grand Slam baton from the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, former world No 1 Boris Becker has come out and criticised the mentality of the players under 28.
Nadal won his 12th French Open title on Sunday, beating Dominic Thiem in the final to take his major tally to 18. The result means the big three of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have won the last 10 Slams.
Juan Martin del Potro, Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka are the other players to have reached finals since the start of 2017, but they are all over 28.
“There’s a certain mentality that they [the younger players] don’t have yet, that the other three just have,” Becker said. “It’s not the forehands. It’s not the fitness. It’s a certain attitude that makes the difference between winning and losing.
“I was just reading a stat from a colleague that no active player under 28 apart from Thiem has been in a Grand Slam final. That is not good. That is not a compliment for anybody under 28. And don’t give me that the others are too good. We should question the quality and the attitude of everybody under 28. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Federer is 37, Nadal 33 and Djokovic 32, and Becker believes the younger generation needs to beat the big three while they are still in their prime.
“As much as I respect Roger, Rafa, Novak – who else?” asked Federer. “Show up. Give me something I want to talk about. Eventually they will be too old. But you want to see passing of the torch while they are still in their prime. You want to see Stefanos [Tsitsipas] and Dominic beating them when they are still very, very good.
“There will be a ‘Wow’ moment. But we said the same thing with [John] McEnroe/ [Jimmy] Connors, [Andre] Agassi/ [Pete] Sampras. There will be a dip and then the spotlight will be on the young generation to say ‘Who are you? Are you good enough, can you carry the sport, or was it all a bluff?’”
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.
More from Tennis365:
-
-
Mats Wilander and John McEnroe give their verdicts on Rafael Nadal’s latest French Open win
-
Tennis365’s Legends of Roland Garros number one: Rafael Nadal
-
-
Comment: Serena Williams’ dismissal of Dominic Thiem damages tennis’ equality cause
-
T365 Recall: How Roger Federer magically won the 2009 French Open title
-
Latest
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal surgery shows ‘he still wants to compete’
Rafael Nadal “still wants to find solutions for his injury” and return to action.
-
French Open
Elena Rybakina latest to succumb to ‘virus here in Paris’ as she pulls out of French Open
A virus forced the fourth seed out minutes before her third-round match.
-
French Open
Cameron Norrie rues his poor attitude – ‘I’m disappointed’
“There is no excuses to play the level that I did,” says Cameron Norrie.
-
French Open
Follow the 2023 French Open with T365’s scores and results centre…
Catch the action from Roland Garros…
-
French Open
Novak Djokovic baffled by French Open booing – ‘I don’t want to make enemies’
“I double fault and they boo, I take a medical timeout and they boo.”
-
French Open
Carlos Alcaraz hopes F1 great Fernando Alonso joins him on No 33
Fernando Alonso to join Carlos Alcaraz on No 33?
-
French Open
French Open day six: Stefanos Tsitsipas’ unreal shot of the day, Taylor Frits earns Mac approval
A look back at the latest action from Roland Garros.
-
French Open
New Novak Djokovic conspiracy theories floated as he hits out at ‘disrespect’
Novak Djokovic’s biggest gripe was with the French Open fans.
-
French Open
Rafael Nadal’s shocking rankings drop confirmed as he undergoes surgery
Provisional rankings list suggests Rafael Nadal will drop to a position in the mid-130s in the ATP list.