Boris Becker assists the team in the players’ area during the Davis Cup qualifying round tennis match between Germany and Switzerland in Trier, Germany, Friday, February 3, 2023. Photo Credit: AP
Boris Becker has been welcomed into German tennis “with open arms”, seven weeks after his release from a London prison.
“We fought hard and left it all on the court,” Becker, 55, sat on the bench during the team’s Davis Cup loss to Switzerland in the western city of Trier on Saturday.
The six-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one has served eight months of a two-and-a-half year sentence in England for breaching bankruptcy rules.
While Becker may have only attended the weekend Davis Cup tie in an unofficial capacity, there is speculation that he may return to his former role as head of men’s tennis with the German Tennis Association (DTB).
Speaking with tabloid Bild, German number one Alexander Zverev said: “We (German tennis) welcome him with open arms.”
Former Davis Cup captain Becker was invited by the DTB as a “friend of the team”.
He was seen hugging and consoling the players at the end of Saturday’s tie.
Zverev said, “Boris knows how to do it. It doesn’t matter if he is a player, coach, DTB or someone else, he can help everywhere.”
Davis Cup teammate Oscar Otte also praised Becker’s presence.
“He said some really nice things to me during the warm-up. It helped a lot,” Ote said.
“Great experience. We’re all very happy he’s back.”
Becker’s return comes at a difficult time for German men’s tennis.
“We have a problem that the gap between Zverev is too big, at least individually,” former Wimbledon winner Michael Stich told Germany’s FAZ newspaper on Sunday.
Former world number two Zverev is now ranked 14th while Otte is ranked 80th and Daniel Altmaier is ranked 91st.
From 2013 to 2016, Becker coached Novak Djokovic to six of his 22 Grand Slam appearances.