German tennis star Boris Becker (54) is not eagerly looking forward to the return of injured stars Roger Federer (40) and Rafael Nadal (35) to the tour with great hope. “I think the tennis greats now should think seriously about how long they can release players,” Becker said on the Eurosport podcast “The Yellow from the Ball,” but emphasized, “It’s going to be a little easier with Rafa than with Roger.”
The Swiss Federer is currently struggling to come back after his third operation on his right knee in the past two years. The time when the 40-year-old will be able to make his hopeful comeback is still quite open. Nadal had only returned to an invitation tournament in Abu Dhabi last week after an ongoing foot injury. But when he returned to Spain, he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Baker is a big fan of Roger
Especially with Federer, along with Nadal and Novak Djokovic (34) the record-breaking Grand Slam champion, Becker has great doubts. “There is no bigger fan of Roger than me, but I don’t know how easy it is to come back after knee surgery at around 41,” said the three-time Wimbledon winner.
Olympic champion Alexander Zverev was a little more optimistic. “Roger has already achieved so much that we said it absolutely couldn’t be done. That’s why I wouldn’t rule it out,” said Athlete of the Year in Germany, but limited: “It won’t be easy, tennis is changing and getting faster. At some point it won’t be easy.”
Djokovic’s family is still hungry
The situation is different with Novak Djokovic. The Serbian is already 34 years old, but he has far fewer physical complaints than Federer and Nadal. Papa Djokovic is convinced that his son will win a few major tournaments.
On the Serbian TV program “K1”, Serjan Djokovic said: “He will win at least two more Wimbledon tournaments and several other major tournaments. You don’t have to be an expert for that, Novak will play for another two or three years, and that will be enough.” (AFP/fmü)
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