Becker: New era in power tennis

Dubai: Tennis great Boris Becker feels the evolution in racquet technology could have been the ideal foil for his growth as a player.

Unfortunately, for him — and the world of tennis, the changes had not taken place two decades ago and we were left without experiencing that side of Becker that could have made him an even more exciting player to watch.

"It's amazing what they have done to the racquets. The game is so much faster and quicker and it would have suited me just fine," Becker told Gulf News after unveiling the Boris Becker Tennis Academy to be housed in Ras Al Khaimah.

The German shot into the limelight in 1985 as a 17-year-old when he defeated Kevin Curren in four sets to become the youngest player ever to win a Grand Slam. However his game was based on a fast and well-placed serve that earned him the name 'Boom Boom Becker'.

Technology

He occasionally deviated from his serve-and-volley style to try and outhit from the baseline opponents who normally were at their best while playing from the baseline. Given his style of play he would have benefited quite a bit due to the changing technology in the manufacture of racquets.

"The racquets are more powerful now, and that has changed the game a bit and consequently a lot has changed in the style of the players," Becker said.

Although Becker went on to win three singles titles at Wimbledon, he never managed to win at Roland Garros. The closest he came to a French Open crown was semifinal appearances in 1987, 1989 and 1991.

And being a power player, Becker feels the technological advances in the racquet would have given him an added advantage.

"It would have given me even more power," he said with a smile.

The six-time Grand Slam champion, however, desisted from comparing his generation of players with the current crop of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

"One should never make this mistake of comparing two generations as it's a completely different era," he said.

Now, more than two decades later Becker spends part of his time as a member of the Team Poker Stars group of poker players sponsored by the Poker Stars online poker cardroom.

He has already taken part in two tournaments on the European Poker Tour.

"In the first one I made some money, but in the second one last week I lost," Becker said.

"But it's good fun and I am doing these tournaments for fun," he added.