Bayern favourites, says Becker
For Boris Becker, wearing smart casuals and rubbing shoulders with corporate honchos comes as effortlessly as wielding a racquet and handing out tips to budding tennis players.
Over the years, the 45-year-old, who became the youngest Wimbledon champion at 17, has worn many hats from a tennis legend, poker player, commentator and an entrepreneur. Life for the German, post-retirement, has been far from mundane.
In the city for the launch of the Mercedes Benz GL-Class, Becker while fielding questions on the business of cars also spoke on the upcoming French Open beginning May 26.
Becker, who couldn’t get past the semi-finals at Roland Garros, tipped the Big Three as the title favourites. “On paper, chances for Rafa (Rafael Nadal) look very good. We all know he was injured for a long time last year but he came back very strongly in February. He has won plenty of tournaments since his comeback, including the last one in Madrid,” said Becker.
“Rafa’s ranking is currently no. 5 in the world, but is bound to go up soon. I guess he should back into the Top-4 which is very important for him seeding wise. You also have Novak Djokovic and Roger (Federer). These two guys definitely have great chances. There is a huge question mark over Andy Murray who injured his back in the ongoing Rome Masters. I would say Rafa, Djokovic and Federer have an equal chance to win,” said the former world no.1.
Becker, who spent 109 weeks perched atop the ATP rankings in 1979-80, praised the ATP which completed 40 years recently. “It’s a wonderful organisation and has great infrastructure. To manage over 1000 professionals in world tennis is not easy and I think ATP has done great.”
One simply cannot sign off a conversation with a German without talking about the Champions League finale next weekend featuring German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Becker, who serves on the advisory board of the Bayern, put his money on his team to lift the coveted trophy. “I’m very happy that two German teams are in the final. But, I have one favourite and my team is Bayern Munich.”
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