CAN ANYONE STOP THE OLD GUARD?
Becker calls on young guns to end Grand Slam dominance of Nadal, Federer & Djokovic.. but it’s easier said than done
BORIS BECKER is challenging the next generation of stars to smash the old guard at Wimbledon after Rafa Nadal’s 12th French Open title.
The Big Three in men’s tennis – Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – have now taken the last 10 Grand Slams since the 2016 US Open.
And the last 11 have been won by players over 30 since Andy Murray claimed his second Wimbledon title in 2016.
Dominic Thiem, 25, (right) has now lost two French Open finals to Nadal, while Alex Zverev (centre) and Stefanos Tsitsipas ( far right) have reached the top 10 without making a Grand Slam breakthrough. And Becker, who so fearlessly won in SW19 aged 17, wants today’s young stars to show the same attitude.
“I hope it is more open at Wimbledon,” said the Eurosport analyst. “No active player under 28 apart from Thiem has been in a Grand Slam final.
“That is not good. That is not a compliment for anybody under 28. And don’t give me that the others are too good. We should question the quality and the attitude of everybody under 28. It just doesn’t make sense.
“As much as I respect Roger, Rafa, Novak – who else? Show up. Give me something I want to talk about. Eventually they will be too old.
“But you want to see a passing of the torch while they are still in their prime. You want to see Stefanos and Dominic beat them when they are still very, very good. That’s what I’d like to see.”
Tsitsipas, 20, beat Federer in the Australian Open quarterfinals, but then took only six games off Nadal in the semi. Zverev, 22, beat Federer and Djokovic to win the ATP Finals at The O2 in November, but the German has only twice reached a Grand Slam quarter-final.
Young guns Denis Shapovalov, Felix AugerAliassime and Alex de Minaur have all yet to fire on the biggest stages.
“It is the mind-set they are missing,” insisted the German, now 51. “There’s a certain mentality they don’t have, that the three men just have.
“It’s not the forehands or the fitness. It’s a certain mentality, mind-set, attitude, that makes the difference between winning and losing.
“The Big Three have more experience, but they were already winning things when they were younger. Rafa won the French Open at 19, while Novak was 20. Don’t give me you’re too young. You’re either good or not good.”
The old regime cannot go on forever – Federer is 38 in August – and a revolution is needed.
“There will be a dip then the spotlight will be on the young generation,” added the six-time Grand Slam winner. “Now show up. Who are you? Are you good enough, can you carry the sport or was it all a bluff ?”