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Becker: Fed would do better than Nadal and Djoko in the late 1980-90s era!

For all the talk of the current “Golden Era” of tennis, Boris Becker says there’s only one Golden Boy who could have competed alongside his generation of greats: Roger Federer.

“I don’t think [Rafael] Nadal or [Novak] Djokovic would have been so successful in the era of serve and volley, but Federer could have played,” Becker said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi over the weekend.

He added that Federer’s variety puts him ahead of Nadal and Djokovic.

“The reason why Federer is still successful at the age of 31 is because he has got a good technique,” Becker said. “He can play from the baseline and when he has to, he can also come to the net more often than other players.”

As for whether Federer is the best player of all time, Boris was more inclined to hedge.

“It is the ultimate question, but unfortunately it has no answer,” Becker said. “Roger Federer has won more tournaments than anybody, but it remains unknown if he would have beaten a McEnroe, a Borg, a Laver or me.”

http://tennis.si.com/2012/11/19/boris-becker-only-federer-could-han...

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Permalink Reply by Mark / The Mayor on November 27, 2012 at 12:03am

I can agree with that.  But I find it interesting that Boom Boom mentions Mac as one of the best ever.

Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on November 27, 2012 at 1:58pm

Interesting matchup right there. 1984 Mac vs. 2005 Fed. What would've been the result? Mac's slice serve to Fed's backhand.

Permalink Reply by Mark T. on December 5, 2012 at 9:39am

I think Nadal could have handled playing against those guys.  What I think is absolutely hilarious is that Boom Boom includes himself in the discussion with the all time greats.  Wake up Becker, you are not in that league.

Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 5, 2012 at 12:59pm

Well, he has six Slams. He's still above Djokovic in slam counts. He's in the Becker/Edberg/Djokovic pool. lol

Permalink Reply by Mark T. on December 6, 2012 at 9:52am

Agree, but that isn't one of the "all" time greats. 

Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 6, 2012 at 12:01pm

Depends on how generous one's cutoff line is. Is the cutoff line 7 slams, where Mac is? Then you leave off alot of guys. I won't bother to name them all, but I do think Becker vs. Nadal would be a very interesting match. I'd say Nadal would have 35% chance to beat Becker on fast indoor or grass. And Becker would have 10-15% chance to beat Nadal on clay.

Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 6, 2012 at 12:38pm
Open Era Titles #
1. Switzerland Roger Federer 17
2. United States Pete Sampras 14
3. Sweden Björn Borg 11
Spain Rafael Nadal 11
5. United States Jimmy Connors 8
Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl
United States Andre Agassi
8. United States John McEnroe 7
Sweden Mats Wilander
10. Sweden Stefan Edberg 6
Germany Boris Becker
Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 6, 2012 at 12:45pm

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