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No Indians in top-10 puzzles Becker

Legend's take
Last Updated 16 December 2016, 17:13 IST

 Tennis legend Boris Becker cannot understand why there are no young Indian players in the top rankings despite the success of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza, though in doubles.

“I see young players from India, and I see great champions. But there is a gap that needs to be bridged. I have known Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, and Sania Mirza in particular. They have got good results. There is rich talent in the country, tennis is a popular sport. I am not the part of the federation, I don’t know why I don’t see any Indian in top-10 or top-20 in the rankings,” Becker said at the launch of Puma Becker sneaker collection on Friday.

When it comes to German tennis, Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion, has hopes from 19-year-old Alexander Zverev (world No 24) in carrying forward the rich legacy.

“Well we have a young player called Alexander Zverev, who had been in top-20. Unfortunately, there are only ten places in top-10, so it is a busy place. Hopefully he will be able to reach there soon,” he said.

Becker, who parted ways with World No 2 Novak Djokovic last week, said he had good things to say about the Serb following a successful partnership that yielded six Grand Slam titles in three years. “Together we won literally everything on Tour. It was good while it lasted. I have good things to say about him, I hope he too has good things to say about me. Nothing lasts for ever. Hopefully, he will go on to win more in the coming years.”

Becker, who was known for his acrobatic volleys, said he did so because he wanted to fight till the last.

“I was big, powerful, but not very fast. So I had to dive, it was also because I never wanted to give up.  I have also got hurt many times, and some of the injuries which I still carry is because of that. But I just wanted to give my best.” he said.

“They all look the same today in their styles. I haven’t found anyone doing what hasn’t been done before. But among the women, I find Serena to be the most stylish.”

The German, who was the youngest to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title at 17, had enjoyed a great rivalry with Ivan Lendl and Steven Edberg. “Both have been champions. They had different styles, character, they came from different backgrounds. So I don’t prefer one from the other, both were very different,” he said.

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(Published 16 December 2016, 17:13 IST)

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