Becker: I hope that they will perceive Novak differently from now on

Becker: I hope that they will perceive Novak differently from now on

Of course, those are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who also have 20 Grand Slam titles each.

In an interview with German Eurosport, Boris Becker first expressed surprise by Novak's tears in the final of the US Open.

"I've never seen Novak bursting into tears on the court. He must have reached the limits in terms of emotions. With all these expectations, the thing that every day after Wimbledon he was asked if he would win the calendar Grand Slam. He delivered a speech after the final with tears in his eyes, he explained to New Yorkers, 'Today is the most beautiful day of my life, because I finally feel respected and loved.' And on the day when he failed to take advantage of something that is an opportunity that appears maybe once in a lifetime, to win all four slams in a year".

Becker is aware of what an opportunity it was for the World Number One.

"An incredible situation, a crazy moment in time. The name of the winner is Daniil Medvedev, not Novak Djokovic, everything that was written before did not happen. But to return to Novak, he said some open, honest and great words in a very difficult moment for him. I know Novak personally and professionally and I can only say that he is a wonderful guy. A competitor who sometimes allows himself to behave badly on the court, but who doesn't? The audience, including the media, have to get used to the fact that we haven't got two, but three legends, who have great qualities as personalities and players. I hope that those two weeks in New York, the finals, the speech after that and the reaction of New York will make everyone finally regard Novak in a different light. He publicly stood up for Stefanos Tsitsipas regarding those toilet breaks, after the semi-finals with Zverev, he often stands in defense of the players. It is often pushed under the carpet and no one accepts it in the right way. I hope for him and his family that the audience will have more correct treatment in the future than before", says Boris.

He also said that he believes that Tokyo was not in Novak's plans.

"To be honest, I don't know if he still had that Golden Slam on his list. I think he thought about the calendar slam after Paris. I don't think he initially thought of going to Tokyo to continue the normal course of preparations before the US Open. From this point of view, I think it was a little too much. He is a proud Serb and of course he had to represent his country, without a doubt. However, he is also a human being. He cannot always win, bear the pressure and be ready. I think he was exhausted there, maybe it was too much for him. Maybe he should have taken a longer break after Wimbledon, three or four weeks as he always does. Travel stress, the Olympic Village, the opening ceremony, it's all nice but also extremely exhausting. And there was the Golden Slam story. A lot of things didn't go in the right direction and you saw the result in the U.S. Open final," Becker concluded.