Boris Becker makes ‘tennis boom’ claim as he discusses Laver Cup importance
Tennis legend Boris Becker believes the Laver Cup is “important” in helping tennis take advantage of what he believes is a “boom” in popularity for the sport.
Six-time major champion and former world No 1 Becker has been among the guests of honour at the seventh edition of the Laver Cup, taking place in the German capital of Berlin.
The event has gone down to the wire, with big-name players such as home favourite Alexander Zverev, reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, and recent US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz all in action.
Many worried that tennis would struggle without the likes of the ‘Big Three’ and Serena Williams, but the sport seems to have a growing global appeal despite their slow farewells from the game.
And, speaking to Tennis.com, Becker believes that team events such as the Laver Cup play an important role in increasing the sport’s appeal.
“I’m a big fan of team competitions, I liked playing in the Davis Cup,” said Becker.
“I’ve always watched the Laver Cup, this is my first time here in person, and I feel very proud to have been invited to the German capital.
“First of all, it is extremely important for Germany as a tennis location to have the Laver Cup in Berlin. It is equally important that we have the best German tennis player, Sascha Zverev, in our ranks here.
“We are currently experiencing a tennis boom internationally and in Germany, too, many people are watching more tennis than before.
“So it’s important to have tournaments like the Laver Cup, where the best in the world play.”
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One of the Laver Cup’s biggest achievements has been consistently attracting some of the biggest names in men’s tennis.
Roger Federer helped launch the event and retired at the 2022 competition in London, while Rafael Nadal has appeared frequently.
Former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev has returned for his second appearance this year, while past stars Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe have led Team Europe and Team World in captaincy roles.
Debates are continuing about how to keep growing the event, and whether there should be a separate women’s event – or if the ATP and WTA should be integrated into one event.
But the star power in the current set-up appears to be a success and Becker revealed that, if he had to choose three players in a captaincy role, he would only make one addition to the Europe squad.
He added: “Three is not enough.
“But I would choose the three best: in this case, that would be Alcaraz, Sinner and Zverev. Two of them are in Berlin.”
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