Ivan Lendl makes Boris Becker admission as tennis icon returns home from prison | Tennis | Sport
Eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl has opened up about the challenge of facing “very powerful” Boris Becker while the pair were playing at their peaks. Becker’s tennis legacy has been a prominent topic of discussion following his release from prison after serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence after he was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.
The two tennis titans contested three major finals during their head-to-head rivalry across an eight-year period. However, Lendl has suggested his former foe could often run ‘hot and cold’, which would determine which version of Becker showed up on court.
“There were a few challenges playing Boris,” said the Czech native during a recent appearance on The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast. “He was very powerful, so he could control the points. Nobody likes to have the opponent control the points, right?”
While Lendl edged 11 of his 21 clashes against Becker, it was the latter who dominated their record at the majors, winning five of six Grand Slam matchups. That includes one final triumph at each of the Australian Open (1991), U.S. Open (1989) and Wimbledon (1986).
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