Published 23:09 IST, October 5th 2020
Boris Becker picks Rafael Nadal over ex-pupil Novak Djokovic to win French Open 2020
German tennis legend Boris Becker has revealed his favourite to win the French Open 2020. Surprisingly but not unexpectedly, he picked Rafa over Djokovic.
German tennis legend Boris Becker has revealed his favourite to win the French Open 2020. Unsurprisingly and yet unexpectedly, Boris Becker said that he would pick 12-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal over his ex-student Novak Djokovic to win the French Open 2020. Considering that Boris Becker has seen Djokovic's game up-close and knows his mental toughness, it could be considered a huge statement.
Boris Becker tips Rafa to win French Open 2020 over Novak Djokovic
The French Open 2020 has gotten underway after multiple postponements and a minuscule audience. With Federer missing, the stakes are much higher for Djokovic and Nadal, who are chasing his 20 Grand Slams record. While Djokovic is the current World No.1, clay is Rafa's domain. A win at the French Open 2020 would earn Rafa his 13th title at the Slam and put him on equal footing with Roger Federer in men's singles Grand Slam titles. For Djokovic, it would mean a second career Grand Slam and an 18th Grand Slam.
According to the draw projections, Nadal will meet US Open 2020 winner Dominic Thiem in the semi-final of the tournament. Writing in a column for The Daily Mail, Boris Becker said that he is most excited for this encounter. In saying this of course, Becker makes the assumption that there will be no upsets in the quarter-finals and that Rafa will get past Janek Sinner while Thiem will defeat Diego Schwartzman.
Third seed Dominic Thiem had a tough round four match against Hugo Gaston that went to the fifth set. Thiem could not capitalize on his two-set lead and had to fight for a quarter-final place in the deciding set. In his column, Becker mentions that Thiem's gruelling match would make it harder for him to give his best against Nadal, allowing Nadal an easier path to the final.
Becker credits Rafa's success to his adaptability
A former World No.1 Boris Becker also credited the success of the 'Big Three' to their ability to adapt to different conditions like the new balls. He said that even though the players had all complained about the quality of the balls being used at the beginning of the French Open 2020 when the matches started, this could not become an excuse for bad performance.
He also pointed out that each of the players had their own problems coming into the tournament. Nadal had lost the Rome Masters and played only three matches, Djokovic's US Open disqualification was trailing after him and Thiem had taken some time off. Despite all this, come matchday, they performed with no issues. Along with them, Becker expects Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas to go up against Djokovic in the semi-final.
Image Credits: AP & Roland Garros
Updated 23:09 IST, October 5th 2020