Trust Boris Becker to put forth his candid opinions on social media when it comes to tennis happenings. He did again when Carlos Alcaraz recently faced a provocative question during a press conference – ‘Should men’s Grand Slam matches adopt the best-of-three format used in women’s singles, instead of the traditional best-of-five?’Although the question may have taken him aback, Alcaraz responded with poise, expressing his preference for the current format.
“5 sets. I think its more difficult to defeat the big players in 5 sets. I see myself as a really good player in the 5th set. If I have to choose, I’d prefer playing 5 sets rather than 3. Because I feel like I have more time to con back. If I’m 2 sets down or 2 sets to 1 down, I feel like I have more time to come back.”
The best-of-five format is what makes the majors the ultimate test of quality, stamina and skill. It’s a stand-out point for majors as compared to other ATP Tour events. This exchange did not sit well with Boris Becker, the outspoken tennis legend who has been following Wimbledon closely. Becker took to social media to express his frustration, retweeting Alcaraz’s answer and questioning why journalists persist in asking this question.
Don’t really understand,why every player is asked same question…best of 5 is a must for GrandSlams !!!
It’s like asking football ⚽️ players whether they prefer to play 45min instead of 90min !
Come on guys ! https://t.co/7CK002PDmA— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) July 1, 2024
Normally, Boris Becker polarises opinions in the tennis world. But in this case, he found more support from fans.
Agreed Boris. You can’t call it a Slam if it’s not best of five. The majors should be much harder to win.
— Distinguished Gentleman (@ThDavidG) July 2, 2024
Totally agree with you Boris. Thank you for sharing always your great knowledge inside in tennis.
— Toto — Everything (@Totomiranda) July 1, 2024
Never ever get rid of best of 5…
— DB (@dbdegn) July 1, 2024
Bang on Boris. 5 sets reflect the importance and status of Slams and respects all those classic matches of the past when those matches went to the fifth, how many memorable matches would fans have missed out on had it been best of 3? Crazy idea.
— Chris Gollop (@ChrisRGollop) July 1, 2024
Boris Becker’s retweet and the subsequent fan reactions highlight a broader sentiment within the tennis community: a high regard for tradition and the unique challenges posed by the best-of-five format. If Becker makes such comments, he would have it much simpler on social media, considering the controversy he created recently featuring Holger Rune.
Boris Becker’s Outspokenness: A Double-Edged Sword
Boris Becker was left red-faced when he was trolled by his former pupil, Holger Rune, for commenting on his working bond with Patrick Mouratoglou. Becker assumed that Rune and Mouratoglou were not seen working together, leading upto the days of the grass court championship. It was kind of a shot at Rune, since he terminated his contract with Becker after working him with him for 4 months between October 2023 and January 2024.
Super strange you don’t ask me this question directly as we text together about other stuff The answer to your question is yes we work together. Sharing the tournaments between us as planned
— Holger Rune (@holgerrune2003) June 30, 2024
The exchange ended with Becker doing some damage cover up, wishing Rune well for the Championships, but the incident underscored the potential pitfalls of the German’s outspoken nature.
While Becker’s social media activity sometimes courts controversy, his insights and experiences remain invaluable. Interestingly, it seems that the youngest men’s singles Wimbledon champion of all-time in the Open era is backing Carlos Alcaraz over Holger Rune to win the Wimbledon 2024 title. Alcaraz could create history if that happens as he could become the second youngest player in 40 years to defend his Wimbledon title successfully after Becker did it in 1986, when he turned 18.
