Boris Becker coached Novak Djokovic for a three-year period where Roger Federer was one of his main rivals.
Becker mentored Djokovic between 2013 and 2016, in a resurgent period of the Serbian’s tennis career.
During this period of time, Djokovic played three Grand Slam finals against Federer, who was also enjoying somewhat of a revival in his own career.
Djokovic and Federer have never been the best of friends, and Becker has now revealed the advice he gave his player during one of the peaks in their rivalry.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesWhat Boris Becker told Novak Djokovic about Roger Federer
Djokovic has always been supported less than Federer and Rafael Nadal, something he has been open about himself.
This is something that Becker suggested played a big part in why Federer was such a big rival of Djokovic’s, especially due to the support he received at Wimbledon.
Becker revealed in a bonus clip from the High Performance podcast that he explained to Djokovic that the crowd were not actually against him, and instead was just for Federer.
Despite perhaps not receiving the support that a player of his calibre would expect, Becker appears to believe that Djokovic is now getting the respect he deserves in the latter stages of his career.
“Roger was already his number one nemesis, especially at Wimbledon,” said Becker. “A, because he was so good and B, because he was so loved.
“So, you always play against Roger Federer and the Centre Court, and I was able to explain to him that these people are not against you, they are only for Roger Federer, so don’t take it personal and then try harder to find a way for them to love you eventually.
“We really bonded over the time, you know we call each other family, and you know we’re very careful with that word. But Novak’s family story is much bigger, because he comes from a very difficult country, difficult family background, and to overcome all this and win 24 majors and just laugh every record in the face is because of his spirit, because of his character and his personality, and last but not least, he’s getting the respect he deserves.”
How many Grand Slam titles did Novak Djokovic win with Boris Becker as his coach?
Becker’s way of coaching Djokovic appeared to work well, and they won their first Grand Slam title together at Wimbledon in 2014 after beating Federer in a five-set final.
This was one of six Grand Slam titles that they won together, with Djokovic also beating Federer in the 2015 Wimbledon final.
Becker also helped Djokovic return to world number one, a position he held for over two years.
Novak Djokovic’s achievements with Boris Becker as his coachBest rankingNo.1 (122 weeks)Titles Won14Grand Slam titles6
Djokovic is not the only ATP player that has been coached by Becker, who also mentored Holger Rune for a brief five-month period.
Becker has also been linked with coaching Alexander Zverev, but it appears that there are plans for that to become a full-time reality at the moment.