Former World No. 1 Boris Becker has called some ATP players for their tame efforts against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. He believed that these players could strategise more effectively against the top two players in the world.
Becker made history during his career by winning six Major titles before the age of 23. Alcaraz recently joined the same list by winning the 2025 US Open in New York.
The German called out some names and questioned their approach towards becoming the best player in the world. Here’s what he said during the latest edition of the ‘Becker-Petkovic’ podcast:
“Alexander Zverev, Jack Draper, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Khachanov. What bothers me about them is that they are satisfied with the role of second or third. Quarterfinals are ok, or semifinals are ok. No, it’s not ok if you want to be the best tennis player in the world,” Boris Becker added
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While Zverev and Fritz have both reached Grand Slam finals, De Minaur has fallen short in five quarterfinals since 2024. Rublev's story has been even more frustrating, with the Russian losing in the quarterfinal stage ten times throughout his career.
Becker felt that these players easily accepted that Sinner and Alcaraz were better than they were. He urged them to think about their approach.
"They're always saying 'Yes, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are so much better than we are.' Well, why do you think that?" said Boris Becker.
Apart from Alexander Zverev (10-9), Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Jack Draper, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Alex De Minaur and Karen Khachanov all hold a losing head-to-head record against Alcaraz and Sinner. Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur has never beaten either player in 14 attempts (0-14).
"Someone has finally thought strategically" - Boris Becker credits Felix Auger-Aliassime for challenging Jannik Sinner at the US Open
Boris Becker has appreciated Felix Auger-Aliassime for his efforts against Jannik Sinner in the semifinal. He felt that the Canadian exposed a few weaknesses in Sinner's game.
Here's what Becker said in his latest podcast:
"Now I come back to this semi-final between Sinner and [Felix] Auger-Aliassime. Someone has finally thought strategically, How can I become dangerous to Sinner?” Boris Becker said.
“Logically, don’t get into long exchanges at the baseline, but play as flat and fast as possible. That’s not rocket science. You don’t have to study philosophy,” Becker added
The German also added that Aliassime could have forced a fifth set against the Italian. He eventually lost to the top seed in three hours and 19 minutes, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
"It’s like that, just look at old matches, see what worked, what didn’t work. Auger-Aliassime played damn well and also had the chance to get to a fifth set, had a break point at the beginning of the fourth," he added
“The medical time out for Sinner…that’s the second time Sinner has had a medical time out at a Grand Slam. This time it was the abdominal muscle, in Melbourne it was the heat, so you have to ask yourself, is he physically more vulnerable than the others?” concluded Boris Becker.
Sinner lost the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings after failing to defend his title in New York. The Italian will be eager to come back stronger and silence his critics in the upcoming Asian hard-court swing.
