Exclusive: Novak Djokovic shouldn't make it obvious he's vying for a Calendar Slam, says Boris Becker
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Updated 15/06/2023 at 15:05 GMT
Boris Becker has exclusively told Eurosport that while Novak Djokovic may be vying for the Calendar Slam, he should not make it public knowledge. Last time the Serbian was close to winning all four majors, he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the final of the US Open. Becker also shared his thoughts on why he likes Carlos Alcaraz and how the 20-year-old can be more savvy in big matches.
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It would be a "mistake' for Novak Djokovic to solely target a Calendar Slam, says Eurosport's Boris Becker.
At the French Open, Djokovic beat Casper Ruud in the final to secure a record-breaking 23rd major title, surpassing Rafael Nadal and reclaiming the world No. 1 position from Carlos Alcaraz.
The Serbian also won the Australian Open in Melbourne earlier this year, meaning that victories at Wimbledon and the US Open would deliver him all four majors - the 'Calendar Slam'.
"It would be a mistake, from his point of view, to make it obvious now," Becker exclusively told Eurosport Germany's Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast.
"Because you know what happened last time: He won three, was in the final and then couldn't stand the nervous strain," he continued, referring to 2021 when Djokovic lost the US Open final to Daniil Medvedev after winning the three other Grand Slam tournaments that year.
"That's why he should really only concentrate on Wimbledon. But the man wants to break records. I don't know which one he can still break, the calendar Grand Slam in one year, that's maybe the only one still outstanding. 100 per cent, he's thinking, but I hope he won't talk about it and just go out on the grass, try to win Wimbledon now, and then the US Open will come at some point.
"As an athlete, I think it's a mistake to talk too loudly about the big goals, to tell the public what you're up to. Talking about it for a long time after a victory is fine, but before a victory, it's often a mistake, and often you don't win that.
"That's why: Rule in silence, train and then win, and then you can talk about your victory for weeks. I think at Wimbledon, he is still in a state of euphoria, he is on cloud nine, and for me, he is the clear top favourite.
"But then comes the summer break, and he has to ask himself when he has 23 Grand Slams, or 24 with a Wimbledon win: Where is the journey going? 'I can't and don't want to play forever'. He also answered this question after the press conference, according to the motto: 'When I stop winning, then the question arises'.
"'But as long as I win Grand Slam tournaments, I want to do that until the end of my days', so as long as he keeps winning, as long as he is still playing for the big titles, he will keep going. At some point, the younger generation will overtake him, but I don't see that happening for a while yet."
Becker also spoke about Alcaraz, who was defeated by Djokovic in the semi-finals of Roland Garros in four sets after the 20-year-old struggled with cramps. The German believes that while Alcaraz will be a contender for years to come, Djokovic was underestimated by the general public ahead of their match-up.
"I'm becoming a huge fan of Carlos Alcaraz," Becker said. "Tennis is in good hands with him at the helm. He smiles a lot, he plays new tennis, he's a likeable young Spaniard, he has good manners, so he's really good. I hope two or three more will come close to him, because we need players like that, first of all.
"But: Djokovic was underestimated a bit because all my friends said: 'Yes, Alcaraz, he will dominate the 36-year-old'. So I said: 'take it easy'.
"First of all, the 36-year-old is a 22-time Grand Slam winner, he knows exactly what he's doing. He's been in this situation 16, 17, 18 times, and he'll have thought about how to play, fight and work the twenty-year-old challenger. And twhat Djokovic did: He played much higher tempo, so he went over the dreaded forehand of Alcaraz and played much faster, that means much more intense.
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"Then it's also about a certain tension: he also built up pressure on his opponent, and that was too much for Carlos. He has never experienced such a situation with any other player, at any other tournament.
"Yes, we are talking about Djokovic, the most successful. So these are all talents that Novak has, and he brought to the day, and what's more, Carlos walked [ran] too much. This is a best-of-five match, you know your opponent is playing well, you have to manage your strength. When it's 40-0, let the ball go by. And he didn't do that.
"It was almost an exhibition match - so those first two sets were the two best sets in the tournament for me, but there are still two or three to play, and Carlos underestimated that.
"Maybe I recognised his age in that match. So he was 20 years young in that case, and he acted like it, which is likeable and which is good. But that was the reason why you might have exhausted yourself and then got the cramps.
"I don't think it was a physical problem, but rather a mental, psychological, spiritual problem, because he simply couldn't cope with the pressure that Novak built up."
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You can watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from July 3, as well as the two singles finals live on July 15 and 16.
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