Berlin, Oct 20 (IANS) Former German tennis icon Boris Becker is returning to the sport as the 55-year-old announced that he will coach Danish shooting star and world number six Holger Rune.
“We over some time kept in contact. I like his emotional way on the court as I pretty much was the same,” Becker said.
The collaboration is said to at least last until the end of the year and includes the ATP tournaments in Basle, Paris and Turin, Xinhua reports.
“Then we talk things over,” the six-time Grand Slam winner said.
For a good reason, the breathtaking success of the former tennis champion made German and international fans never forget about the three-time Wimbledon champion despite many seeing him as a falling star struggling after his sportive career.
In July of 1985, the then 17-year-old became the youngest unseeded player to win the Grand Slam.
Until today he remains the only male German world number one having successfully challenged the that time leading players such as Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Adre Agassi and John McEnroe.
Together with female star Steffi Graf, he triggered a wave of tennis enthusiasm as millions of Germans started to enter clubs and play.
He earned the nickname “Bum-Bum-Boris” due to his rocket-like service.
His ups and downs in career seemed to alternate with financial problems leading to a harsh sentence by a British Court due to the accusation of insolvency offences, with Becker spending slightly over seven months in a UK prison.
The former world number one had been accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets to avoid paying his debts.
38 years after his triumphant success on Wimbledon’s grass-root courts, the offenses somehow couldn’t harm his reputation as a national hero. The tragic story of a young fallen sports star caught people’s hearts.
Even on the international stage, Becker’s return to what he always loved most, triggered attention.
Rune’s team invited Becker for a week of training in Monte Carlo and things seemed to work well.
The job of getting the Dane out of his performance low after he lost 10 of his recent 11 games, seems a challenge to Becker’s taste.
“It makes me proud that he asked me,” Becker said and mentioned the ATP Finals as the 2023 goal.
Counting on vast experience when in action, the German for three years was the coach of Serbian star Novak Djokovic. The duo harvested six Grand Slams aside from 25 tournament titles.
–IANS
bc
