Wimbledon: McEnroe and Becker - "A festive day for tennis"
John McEnroe and Boris Becker have been passing their expertise on to TV viewers for years. After the men's quarter-finals on Wednesday, the two BBC legends expressed their anticipation of the 40th duel between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer . We listened carefully.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jul 11, 2019, 06:39 pm
Mr. Becker, how surprising is it that we see the duel Federer against Nadal again here in Wimbledon, Fedal40?
Boris Becker : Not surprising. Roger and Rafa still own this outstanding class, which sets them apart from the rest of the big field. You also saw it at this tournament: One or the other opponent keeps up quite well at eye level, for a while, but then Federer and Nadal shift up a gear, find another level. You move away, unreachable.
Both of them were also sometimes written off by the tennis experts because of injuries or form crises.
John McEnroe : I admit that I also had my doubts. Look, Federer had these meniscus problems three years ago. He was already 34 and people thought: How will it go on with him? Well, now we have the answer. When I see how he moves out there at 37, prancing across the lawn, I just say: Wow. It’s incredible. This also applies to Nadal, his comebacks after many injuries are simply inconceivable, he has repeatedly proved the doubters better.
Becker : Yes. It's just crazy. You can always just take your hat off to them, including Novak Djokovic, of course. How they have asserted themselves for years, constantly improving their game, working hard on themselves. They all have exceptional talents. But you also have to have the talent to go to the training ground every day and always want to improve.
Many would not have believed Nadal this run a few weeks after his twelfth French Open triumph.
McEnroe : When I watch Nadal here, I'm fascinated. His accomplishments were absolutely incredible. He almost crushes you with his presence, he plays every point as if it were the last of his tennis life. I said in the first week of the tournament that he was my favorite for the title. And maybe he is actually just a bit ahead in the end. But with these super players, i.e. Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, the margins are small. Little things, a few points, that decides. You have to be there at the big points.
Becker : First of all, I have great respect for this whole trio, the Big Three. Perhaps we will never see such a group of players in a generation again. The following applies to Nadal: people once thought that his home was just the clay court, Paris his home, so to speak. But he can win anytime, anywhere, as he soon showed, including Federer 2008 here in the Wimbledon final. It was a crucial game for Nadal, the foray into a new world. After all, he came into this endgame with the mortgage that he had lost in the title match two years earlier.
What are your memories of this 2008 final?
McEnroe : It's the best game ever played at Wimbledon and anywhere. Many have always said Borg versus McEnroe 1980, you can't beat that. But Federer against Nadal 2008, that was even better. You can't over hyped the game eleven years later, it's a crazy, great thing. Every tennis player on the planet should tune in on Friday afternoon.
Becker : It was the absolute classic back then, a game for the history books. It had so many twists and turns, that was pure drama. We can all just be happy that we can experience Federer against Nadal again, of course that is by no means the case. Friday is going to be a day of tennis.
Recording and editing: Jörg Allmeroth