Boris Becker hails Bjorn Borg and Thomas Muster as absolute 'Kings of clay'
Tennis great Boris Becker has hailed Bjorn Borg and Thomas Muster as the 2 absolute kings of clay.
Bjorn Borg is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. He was the first man in Open Era history to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles, including six at the French Open and five in a row at Wimbledon between 1974 and 1981.
Meanwhile, Thomas Muster is a former world No. 1 tennis player from Austria. He was one of the world's top clay court players in the 1990s, winning the French Open in 1995 and being dubbed 'The King of Clay' at the time. He also won eight Masters 1000 Series titles.
The ongoing 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters recently hosted a traditional Grande Nuit du Tennis to celebrate the tournament's success, which was attended by some of the biggest stars in the business, including Bjorg and Muster.
In light of this, Becker took to his Instagram stories to praise the two and echoed a fan's claim that they were the "Kings of Clay," writing:
"Absolutely 2 Kings."
"I was surrounded by murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists" - Boris Becker opens up about his prison time
Boris Becker was given a 30-month prison term in April 2022 for hiding assets after being declared bankrupt and transferring significant amounts of cash illegally. However, the German tennis legend was released early as part of a fast-track deportation program for foreign nationals; ordinarily, he would have had to complete serving half of his sentence before becoming eligible for release.
Becker, who cannot return to Britain for the next 10 years, opened up about his time in prison in an interview with the BBC. He stated that anyone who claims prison life isn't hard is lying. The German recalled that he was surrounded by rapists, smugglers, and dangerous criminals, among others, and had to fight for survival every day and surround himself with the tough ones to get protection.
"Whoever says that prison life isn't hard and isn't difficult I think is lying. I was surrounded by murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists, by people smugglers, by dangerous criminals," the three-time Wimbledon champion said.
"You fight every day for survival. Quickly you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection," he added.
Apple TV+ recently released a documentary series titled "Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker" that explores the former World No. 1's life, who won the first of his six Majors at the age of 17.