Q: Early in the summer, Robin Soderling opened up about the mental struggles he had towards the end of his career. What do you think about the importance of mental health in sports?
BECKER: It’s an important topic, we live very fast lives and expectations are always sky-high. Sometimes we criticise people without knowing the kind of pressure they are receiving. Novak is a highly intelligent man, and he would have never reacted that way in a real-life situation, but he had a lot of pressure against Carreno. It’s a big problem, and society should answer this question. Sometimes the expectations we have for some people are unfair.
Q: How did you handle the pressure?
BECKER: I was lucky because I came from a great family who explained to me what is important and what is real. Sometimes I have doubts about some players’ entourages, especially vis-à-vis the young ones, because they surround themselves with people who cannot handle the pressure and end up putting an even bigger burden on the shoulders of the players. I think that Justine and I were both lucky in this regard, because we always had great people with us, or else it would have been impossibile to cope.
Q: Boris, this summer you went on vacation with Bjorn Borg – how do you feel about him?
BECKER: I love him, he was my hero. He’s the reason I picked up a racquet and I wanted to win Wimbledon. He’s in good shape. I spent a couple days in Ibiza with him and his wife, Patricia. What happens in Ibiza stays in Ibiza!
Q: What do you think about Leo, his son?
BECKER: He was there too. I had a nice chat with him. He’s a lovely young man who love tennis and who is maturing as a man. This is the hardest time to do it, because you are not 100 percent focused on the game. We have all been through this, and I’m sure he’ll find his way.
Q: But what do you think of him as a player?
BECKER: He is talented, but there are many talented guys out there. The professional game is tough, and I’m sure he has even more pressure on him because his surname is Borg.
Q: I have a question about Kim Clijsters. She lost a tight battle in the first round, and her comeback isn’t going smoothly. How do you rate her performance, Justine? How does it compare to the early stages of her career?
HENIN: As Boris said, we need to be careful with expectations. This was her third tournament. It’s an enormous challenge, to come back after seven years and two more children. Honestly, you can’t compare her results with what she used to do. She did some good things, but her fitness is a concern. The real question is whether she’ll be able to elevate her shape. Maybe she’s disappointed, but it’s just her first few matches. It really depends on what her personal expectations and goals are, because it was her decision.
Q: Boris, do you have an opinion as well on Kim Cljisters?
BECKER: Firstly, I applaud her courage for coming back. It will be difficult, but it’s her decision to start playing professional tennis again. The game has moved on, and it is perhaps more physical than it used to be in her day. There are many strong young players who don’t care that she was a champion. When you win for a long time, you get respect, but I don’t think that the younger players feel that way about her. It’s human nature! I admire her decision and wish her good luck.
Q: Justine, what do you think about the disqualification of Babos and Mladenovic, who were the favourites to win the women’s doubles crown?
HENIN: It was a very strange situation. We can only wonder why the USTA protocol suddenly changed. It’s hard to judge, because I wasn’t involved in the decision or the whole process. Were there some political decisions on the rule changes? Did the tournament have to simply adjust to political decisions without having any sort of control? It certainly doesn’t seem fair, but you need to be inside the organising of the event to understand the situation. I wasn’t there so I don’t want to judge. The organisers did their best, they weren’t perfect, and it was unfair that the two players were forced to withdraw. However, there are bigger problems and it’s better to just move on from this situation.
Q: Without Novak, who is the favourite to win the title?
BECKER: That’s a good question. All players have a good chance and are sort of having a new experience. I have a couple names in my head, but, since we talked about mental health and pressure, I don’t want to put more pressure on the players. It will be interesting to see how some of them will deal with being the favourites.
Q: You coached Novak for a few years, and you have seen him mature as a man. Where do you think he is more vulnerable nowadays?
BECKER: He is a human being and human beings aren’t perfect. He is at his best when he plays with his emotions – however, if he can’t contain them, he can lose control. We have seen that with me and with countless other players as well. I wonder whether all the off-court pressure contributed to what happened – the new association, the whole Mannarino affair, when Novak had to call Governor Cuomo, and so on. Too many things made him lose his focus. He isn’t perfect and these things can happen, period.
Q (UbiTennis): I have known Boris since he was 16. He’s a highly regarded Eurosport commentator, so I can’t let him get away with not predicting who the champion will be! You have to take a stance, you can’t hide behind the pressure thing. So, who will win? And I would also like to hear Justine’s prediction.
BECKER: I’ve always been a straight shooter, and I always voice my opinions, regardless of who I work for. However, I honestly think this is a whole new ballgame for each of them. If we look at the rankings, Thiem should win it, then maybe Zverev. But I don’t see it that way. What I think is that we are going through some crazy times, we have a pandemic, we have Djokovic’s default. It’s a crazy tournament, and I’m sincerely telling you that anything can happen.
HENIN: I agree with Boris. It’s not that we don’t want to take responsibility by not picking. This is our job now, to say that things are not as simple as some might think. It used to be Novak versus everyone else and now he’s gone, and everyone could win. This tournament is exceptional and unpredictable in so many ways. We all need to adapt to these conditions. Whoever will win will have to be very strong from a mental standpoint
Transcript by Andrea Canella; edited and translated by Tommaso Villa
