Boris Becker picks Novak Djokovic as his 'dream' opponent, reveals where he would like to face off against the Serb in hypothetical scenario
Boris Becker has said that facing former pupil Novak Djokovic in the final of the Wimbledon Championships is his 'dream tennis match'. Becker coached Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, and during this period, the Serb won six of his 24 Grand Slam titles.
Becker himself is a former World No. 1. The German became an overnight sensation by winning the 1985 Wimbledon Championships; his maiden Major title. At the time, Becker was only 17. To this day, he remains the youngest-ever player to win the prestigious grasscourt Major. He would go on to win two more Wimbledon titles (1986, 1989), two Australian Open titles (1991, 1996), and one US Open title (1989).
After calling time on his illustrious tennis career in 1999, Boris Becker began to work in tennis as a coach. He would eventually pair up with Novak Djokovic in 2013, and their collaboration was a resounding success. Despite parting ways in December 2016, Djokovic and Becker remain on good terms.
On October 28, Becker sat down for a rapid-fire question-and-answer session with sports marketing agency Sportfive. Towards the end of the session, the 56-year-old was asked what his 'dream tennis match' would be. In his answer, Boris Becker stated that he would like to square off against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
However, he ended the answer hilariously, doubting how good it would be for him to face the Serb at SW19. Djokovic has won seven Wimbledon titles so far in his career. Only the Serb's great rival Roger Federer has more.
"So many. Listen, I coached the guy. Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. I don't know if that's good for me though," Becker told Sportfive.
In the aftermath of Becker's split with Djokovic, the German had appreciative words for the time he spent in the Serb's camp.
"We had the time of our life" - Boris Becker to Novak Djokovic after parting ways in 2016
Towards the end of 2016, rumors began swirling about a potential split between Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic. At the time, the German was experiencing struggles with his health, which made it difficult for him to travel to tournaments with the Serb.
Ultimately, Becker and Djokovic did part ways, and both were appreciative of each other for the three-year collaboration that yielded six Major titles for the Serb. Djokovic took to Facebook and stated that all the goals that he had set out to achieve with Becker as his coach had been accomplished.
"The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled. I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment," Djokovic wrote on Facebook.
Becker issued his response to the Serb on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
"Thank U! We had the time of our life"
Recently, on October 20, the German legend expressed his satisfaction upon witnessing Djokovic and Rafael Nadal warmly hugging each other following their third-place match at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.