Boris Becker Believes Novak Djokovic can Become the Most Popular Tennis Player of All Time

Boris Becker believes that Novak Djokovic could become the most popular tennis player of all time if he continues his career for the next few seasons. Many critics have questioned Djokovic’s motivation to compete at 38, especially after falling behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

However, Becker feels that despite recent losses, Djokovic’s popularity has actually increased. He added that the Serb’s continued presence on the tour will only strengthen his connection with fans. Becker said in the High Performance podcast:

He has earned the respect he has always deserved. If he plays another year or two, he will become the most popular tennis player of all time, because the longer he stays on the court, the more people will realize who Novak really is.

This shift is notable, as Djokovic has not always been seen as the most popular figure in tennis. Throughout his career, he often embraced the “villain” role while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal commanded larger global fanbases.

Now, with both Federer and Nadal retired, Djokovic’s support among fans has grown significantly. His rising popularity was evident during the Shanghai semifinals in China, where he received tremendous crowd support.

Novak Djokovic’s draw revealed at the Athens

The ATP 250 in Athens next week could play a major role in deciding Lorenzo Musetti’s qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals. It may also serve as an early challenge for Novak Djokovic, the 100-time tour-level champion, at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship.

With one Finals spot still available, Musetti is fighting to stay in contention in the tight PIF ATP Live Race to Turin. The Italian, currently eighth, hopes to secure his debut at the season finale alongside countryman Jannik Sinner.

If Felix Auger-Aliassime wins his semifinal at the Rolex Paris Masters, he will overtake Musetti in the standings. That result would make Musetti’s Athens performance even more crucial, as he opens against either Stan Wawrinka or Botic van de Zandschulp.

Top seed Djokovic, playing for the first time since Shanghai, will face Alejandro Tabilo or Adam Walton in his opener. Tabilo has beaten Djokovic twice — in Monte-Carlo this year and Rome last season — while the Serbian holds a 35-11 record this year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Boris Becker reveals the reason for Novak Djokovic’s improvement under him

German tennis legend Boris Becker has explained the technical improvements that helped Novak Djokovic reach new heights under his coaching. The former world No. 1 was one of the most successful coaches of Djokovic’s career, guiding him to multiple Grand Slam titles between 2014 and 2016. Becker said:

He won everything with me. I helped him find reasons to keep winning. Novak always won, but sometimes it took him four or five hours to achieve it. When I started coaching him, he had just lost the number one ranking to Nadal, because he lost a semifinal in which he was completely exhausted, so I had to find a different technique and a different style to help him win more quickly. And what I did was move him closer to the baseline; he was always playing very far back on the court.

Becker joined Djokovic’s team in 2014, when the Serb was struggling to finish strong in major tournaments. After losing the first two Grand Slams of the year at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Djokovic bounced back to win Wimbledon in a thrilling five-set final against Roger Federer.

Once that breakthrough came, Djokovic went on a dominant run, capturing three Grand Slam titles in 2015. He then won four consecutive Grand Slams between 2015 and 2016, becoming the first man to achieve that feat since Rod Laver.

As results began to decline, Becker and Djokovic eventually ended their partnership. In 2017, Djokovic brought in Andre Agassi as his new coach.

Also Read: Ben Shelton Full of Delight After Earning His ATP Finals Qualification at the Paris Masters

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