Boris Becker - return as DTB President?
With the withdrawal of Boris Becker , the German Tennis Association (DTB) is losing its most prominent figurehead - for the time being. The three-time Wimbledon winner is already hinting at his return.
by SID
last edit: Nov 25, 2020, 01:58 pm
Boris Becker formulated five sentences on his surprising farewell to the German Tennis Association (DTB). The last one in particular was tough. "I will remain on friendly terms with the DTB and can imagine, if my time allows, to take on an even bigger task at the DTB, if the opportunity arises," Becker was quoted in a press release from the association on Wednesday.
The time of the 53-year-old idol as Head of Men's Tennis is coming to an end, in 2021 Becker will no longer continue his office and will hand over overall responsibility for German men's tennis to Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann. But Becker's last sentence suggests that he may not be without an office in the DTB for too long. In the current structure, only the post of president should come into question. On the last weekend in January, the election of the head of the association will be postponed by two months due to the corona pandemic.
The time may come too early for Becker, who is still facing bankruptcy proceedings in a London court in September 2021. The incumbent President Ulrich Klaus has already announced that he will run for a third term in January. And Becker, who also works as a Eurosport expert, justified his resignation from his honorary position as Head of Men's Tennis, saying that he "currently lacks the time to continue to carry out this extensive task".
Hordorff - Becker does not leave with a bland aftertaste
Even the statements by the association's vice-president Dirk Hordorff do not indicate that Becker is currently a candidate for president. "Boris Becker has shown in an office how important he can be for the DTB," said Hordorff to the SID: "He is highly qualified and any office would be conceivable for him. Currently, however, he has given reasons for his withdrawal."
Hordorff knows about the effect that the six-time Grand Slam Champion Becker has on the association: "He didn't see his office as a title, he filled it with content. His work was fantastic, incredibly valuable." Hordorff “did not want to speculate” that Becker's path to the office of president would be mapped out in the next but one election. He emphasized, however, that it was clearly evident that Becker was "very close to his heart". Becker does not leave "in any way with a bland aftertaste," said Hordorff: "It's nice that he is ready to help again at a later date."
Becker took over his office in 2017 and, with Kohlmann, headed the Davis Cup team, among other things. Most recently, in March in Düsseldorf, Germany qualified for the second time for the newly created final round in Madrid.
The three-time Wimbledon winner also got involved in the youth field. "We are extremely grateful to him that he was available to us with this voluntary commitment," said DTB President Klaus: "I will have fond memories of the Davis Cup weeks with him. We hope and would be very happy if there will be another opportunity in the future to involve Boris Becker in the association. "
It just seems like a matter of time.