Boris Becker’s big tennis comeback confirmed as he signs up for full-time coaching role

Kevin Palmer
Boris Becker Eurosport
Boris Becker

Boris Becker’s rehabilitation into the tennis family is now complete after he confirmed he has returned to full-time coaching.

The three-time Wimbledon champion, 55, was jailed for two and a half years in April 2022 for hiding £2.5 million of assets and loans to avoid paying debts, serving eight months.

It was a dramatic fall from grace for the German tennis legend, who faced an uncertain future when he emerged from jail with ambitions to get back into top level tennis.

A punditry role with broadcaster Eurosport gave Becker a voice back in the game and now he has confirmed he has completed a full-time return to tennis after accepting a role as coach of world No 6 Holger Rune.

“I can confirm that I am Holger Rune’s coach,” Becker exclusively told Eurosport Germany’s podcast.

“It makes me a little proud that he asked me. The contact has existed for a long time. Now it was a very good fit.

“My calendar allows it and I have always been interested in Holger because he is on the tennis court with so much commitment and temperament.

“Holger then invited me to a training week in Monte-Carlo. I also had a long chat there with his mother Aneke and his performance coach Lapo Becherini. The three of us are responsible for Holger from now on. Unfortunately, I can’t be at the tournament in Stockholm this week because of previously arranged appointments.

“But I will be there in Basel at the latest, and afterwards, I will play Paris-Bercy with Holger – and hopefully help him to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. That is the big goal and that is the task.”

Rune’s position in the top ten of the ATP rankings confirms his immense potential, but he has struggled to find his best form in 2023, after ending last year on a high with victory in the Paris Masters final against Novak Djokovic.

That win in Paris, his victory in the ATP 250 event in Stockholm and his run to the Basel final last year means he will have a lot of ranking points dropping off his record in the coming weeks.

So Rune will need Becker to reignite his form if he is to retain his place in the top ten of the rankings, yet Becker feels there is a lot more to come from the 20-year-old Dane.

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“Holger is a rough diamond that needs polishing. I like his emotional outbursts,” he added.

“I have coached a player before, Novak Djokovic, who was sometimes not quite himself on the court, but that is allowed.

“The question is: how quickly do you find your way back into the match, are you focused again? In the end, it’s not about sending your mother out of the stands, but winning the match. I love tennis and when one of the best 20-year-olds in the world asks me if I’d like to coach him… anyone who says no doesn’t have much to do with the sport.

“Of course, it’s all about attitude, even if it’s so easy to say that. But it is the main reason why tennis matches are won or lost. For me, it’s about: what is Holger’s motivation and the reason to go to China, for example. Is it just to win the first round or the tournament, is it for ranking points?

“That has to be discussed and it has to be very clear what the motivation is. I have some ideas on what can be improved. It starts with attitude, mentality, psyche – and I have a little idea about that.

“I met Holger when he was 15, 16 years old. That was at the ATP Finals, when I was still coaching Novak Djokovic. Holger was our training partner.

“That’s how long I’ve known him and his mother. We have always stayed in conversation. And now the question came: ‘Can you help me?’ And my answer was: ‘Yes, let me visit you in Monte-Carlo.’ He then talked about the rest of the year. That was okay with me and I freed up time for Basel, Paris and, if we make it, Turin.”

As to whether their partnership continues into next season, Becker – who is currently barred from entering the UK under there terms of his release from jail – he added: “There’s no point in signing a two-year contract now when you’ve only been cooperating for a week.

“After that, we will sit down and think about whether the tournaments were successful, whether he enjoyed it, whether I liked it.

“We’ll now take on these three tournaments. After that, we’ll decide whether the cooperation has a future and whether we’ll go into 2024 together – or was it a great experience and we’ll go our separate ways.

“We need close contact, because I can only help him if I know how he’s doing. That’s not only true on the pitch, but also in his private life. Does he have worries, does he have a flight of fancy? All this has an impact on his performance in training. I have to know the reasons. Being a tennis coach always means being also a tennis psychologist.”

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