adminLONDON.- Boris Becker fears that tennis could be lacking big personalities in the near future if Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal call time on their careers.
The six-time Grand Slam champion captured the public’s imagination with his youthful charisma and thrilling playing style during an exciting era for the sport.
Becker regularly battled against a number of big characters as the likes of John McEnroe, Pat Cash and Andre Agassi drew in huge crowds.
The modern generation of male players have also strengthened the image of tennis and there is huge expectation surrounding this year’s Wimbledon tournament, with Novak Djokovic, Federer, Andy Murray and Nadal targeting the title.
But Becker, who coaches Djokovic, has raised concerns about the shortage of consistent challengers outside the top four.
“I think the men’s side is in a very healthy state, we have an increase in popularity from over 10 years ago and the numbers are staggering,” he said.
“But the question has to be asked: what if Roger decides to quit or Rafa is not coming back? It’s impossible to carry on with only Novak and Andy.
“You have a young group of Australians – Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, who have good personalities and are interesting to watch, but there’s a gap in between of players you don’t know anything about. In two or three years’ time, we have to be careful.”
Earlier this month, Murray issued an apology after microphones picked up bad language during his third-round win over Kyrgios at the French Open. – Sky Sports.
Online Reporter