Becker On Federer And His Future

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 31st October 2013

Promotion of the ABN AMRO Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam

Becker On Federer And His Future

epa03575612 Former German tennis player Boris Becker attends a promotion event of the ABN AMRO Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 09 February 2013. The tournament will take place from 11 until 17 February. EPA/KOEN VAN WEEL |

Boris Becker has chimed in with an opinion on the state of Roger Federer as the Swiss concludes his least productive season of the past decade or so. Becker, who retired through simple lack of desire and spirit at age 31 – a year younger than Federer now – is casting doubts on the Swiss player’s motivation to carry on in the game.

While Federer himself has said just the opposite – that he’s keen to carry on, loves the game and loves winning – that can’t stop Boris from voicing his own doubts to British media as Federer closed in on a place in the year-end finals for a 12th straight season.

“He’s won it six times and people in London love him,” said Becker, a part-time resident of the capital, “I think next year will be a very important year for him to show the world that Roger Federer still has some gas left in the tank.”

Becker did hedge his bets on any retirement though: “Federer is a smart man and we’ve got to give him the time to make up his own mind. He knows the season was a surprise and he can’t go on like this forever. The key is his motivation, his drive, his hunger. Is he willing to put in the hours and the discipline of what it takes?”

Becker painted a picture – perhaps based on his own experiences – which would have Federer out to pasture sooner rather than later. But like so many things in the German’s world, his talk often vanishes into empty space. “At 32, with a nice family and other commercial commitments, it is more and more difficult. Your body recovers more slowly. Your motivation goes, naturally.

“You cannot be up for every match and, once you’ve played Wimbledon 10 or 12 times, you’ve done it and know exactly what to expect. So are you willing to do what it takes to be the very best? He has split up with Paul Annacone, his long-time coach. The question is will he have a new one or will he do it on his own? That [getting a new coach] would tell me whether he’s 100 per cent committed or not.”

Topics: 10sballs, Boris Becker, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News

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iotennistn says:

October 31, 2013 at 11:35 am

A pretty fair assessment of where Federer is, based on his own experience of the long term grind. http://t.co/eTCIY9Iwqe