Boris Becker: Only Federer could hang with my generation

For all the talk of the current "Golden Era" of tennis, Boris Becker says there's only one Golden Boy who could have competed alongside his generation of

Courtney Nguyen | Nov 19, 2012

For all the talk of the current "Golden Era" of tennis, Boris Becker says there's only one Golden Boy who could have competed alongside his generation of greats: Roger Federer.

"I don't think [Rafael] Nadal or [Novak] Djokovic would have been so successful in the era of serve and volley, but Federer could have played," Becker said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi over the weekend.

He added that Federer's variety puts him ahead of Nadal and Djokovic.

"The reason why Federer is still successful at the age of 31 is because he has got a good technique," Becker said. "He can play from the baseline and when he has to, he can also come to the net more often than other players."

As for whether Federer is the best player of all time, Boris was more inclined to hedge.

Published Nov 19, 2012

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.