The former German No. 1: “Jannik is coming off five straight Grand Slam finals… Carlos is an artist who finally seems to have matured, even though he can lose to anyone.”
Boris Becker is a keen observer of tennis. A tireless television commentator, he’s also in bookstores with his autobiography titled “Inside: Winning, Losing, Starting Over,” published by Mondadori, in which he recounts the difficult moments he endured in prison. Now, as an adopted Italian, he’s returned to tennis full-time, analyzing the sport through the eyes of someone who helped shape its history.
Boris, everyone is wondering: will we see another final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz here in Turin?
“If I take off my ‘German glasses,’ I’d say the chances are very high. Jannik has looked in really great form so far, and the same goes for Carlos. The question mark for me is Zverev. He has the talent to beat both of them, especially indoors, but he needs to get back to his best form.”
A few days ago on Sports Predictions, we ran the headline “Bum Bum Jannik” because of all the aces he served. What do you think of that?
“I think Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill have done a fantastic job since the US Open to improve Jannik’s serve. Over the summer, that was the shot he was lacking, especially in the New York final: in my opinion, Alcaraz was the better player, but also the better server. The serve is the only shot where your opponent doesn’t participate—it’s entirely in your hands. Since then, Jannik has tweaked his technique a bit; even his ball toss is different. The big difference between Sinner this summer and Sinner now is precisely his serve, and indoors that matters a great deal.”
Speaking of the serve: Toni Nadal argues that tennis is becoming a bit boring because it’s the only sport that starts with a penalty kick—that is, with the serve—and that something needs to change. Do you agree?
“I have the utmost respect for Toni, but I don’t agree with him on this. I think tennis is experiencing a global boom: it’s never been as popular as it is now. And that’s thanks to Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic: those three have taken tennis to another level. Alcaraz and Sinner are keeping it there. What I’d like to see next year is a few more players winning Grand Slams. So far, it’s been almost exclusively Jannik and Carlos, and that says a lot about them, but it would be great to see others join the ranks of the winners.”
In 2026, both Carlos and Jannik could complete the Career Grand Slam. Who will be the first to do so?
“Meanwhile, I think the fact that Sinner has reached the final in all four Grand Slams has gone a bit under the radar. It’s an incredible achievement. He lost in Paris and New York, but reaching the finals in four Majors in a row—actually five, if we count last year’s U.S. Open as well—is something extraordinary, and it isn’t talked about enough. For next year, the question remains the same: will Sinner and Alcaraz continue to dominate? They’re young, they’re still very hungry, and, at the moment, I struggle to see anyone who could change this scenario.”
In the second half of the season, we saw Alcaraz play very solidly in every aspect of the game, including mentally. In your opinion, has he made the definitive transition from “kid” to adult player?
“I’ve always seen Alcaraz as a tennis artist. And artists can be moody: they have great days and off days. I’ve always thought that, at his best, Carlos was stronger than anyone, but on off days he could even lose to players of much lower caliber. This year, that inconsistency has practically disappeared. He’s matured. He deserves to be No. 1—even if the race is very tight—because overall he’s been the best player: his consistency has reached a new level. Jannik’s great strength has always been his consistency; Carlos has worked hard on this very aspect, and he’s reaped the rewards.”
The top two players in the world are rivals and friends: have you ever been friends with one of your great rivals?
“In our day, we weren’t friends. That just didn’t exist. Imagine me being friends with McEnroe or Lendl… impossible. (Laughs, ed.) I got along well with Stefan Edberg; I had a lot of respect for him, but it wasn’t like it is today. In my opinion, the whole concept of friendship between rivals changed with Federer and Nadal. They were the ones who transformed the way two great opponents behave toward one another, and it was a good thing: a great example for young people. I think it’s wonderful that Sinner and Alcaraz have this chemistry off the court: you can sense their great mutual respect; they like each other; they have no problem doing things together. Yet on the court, they’re fierce rivals. It’s a positive role model for the new generation.“
And further down the road, who might join their ranks?
”I hope that Sascha Zverev manages to win at least one Grand Slam before the end of his career. He has the talent to do it. Then we’ll have to wait for the next generation. I’m thinking of players like Joao Fonseca, an Italian like Lorenzo Musetti, Jack Draper if he stays healthy, and Ben Shelton… In my opinion, they’re still a bit far from that level, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win a Major in the future.” You mentioned Musetti: he arrived here practically exhausted after eight consecutive weeks on the court. Can he stay in the Top 5 permanently next year?
“I think he’s taken a real leap forward here: his first appearance at the ATP Finals, his first entry into the Top 10. I felt bad for him because against Alcaraz he was clearly running out of energy, with no legs left. But I still see him improving. I don’t think world No. 7 is the end of the road for Lorenzo. Yes, I believe he can reach the Top 5.“
We’re at the last tournament of the year; there’s talk of an overly packed schedule, but starting in 2028 there will also be another Masters 1000 in Saudi Arabia: what do you think about that?
”There are a lot of tournaments—that’s for sure. Ultimately, it’s up to the players to decide how many weeks in a row they want to play. But for fans, it’s hard to follow tennis every week—it can get confusing. Sometimes there are two tournaments happening at the same time, and especially in the second half of the year, when everyone is trying to qualify for the Finals, the situation gets complicated. I think there’s too much tennis. The public should be ‘a little hungry’ for it: if there’s tennis every week, the supply becomes oversaturated. For the players, it’s an opportunity to keep working, but for fans and the media, it’s a lot—maybe too much.”
And that’s not all: next week brings the Davis Cup Finals, with Italy defending its title against Germany. What’s your take on that?
“I’ll be in Bologna for the ceremony honoring Niki Pilic, and I’ll be leading the German team. We’re finally back in the running for the Insaliatiera. And I’ll go even further: with Zverev and a solid doubles pair like Krawietz-Puetz, I think Germany is the team to beat.” Take it from Bum Bum.
