DOUBLING UP WITH IVANISEVIC

Becker back in the swing of things

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

Welcome back, Boris Becker!

This week at the Tennis Masters Series-Cincinnati tournament, Boris Becker has returned to the tennis tour, a homecoming arranged when good friend Goran Ivanisevic agreed to play doubles with the former German wunderkind.

The 33-years-old, Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion, is planning a new tennis life on the senior circuit and believed that a little doubles would be the perfect practice.

Although Becker and his newly-found partner lost to Todd Woodbridge and Jonas Bjorkman, 6-3, 6-2, he is feeling right at home on the ATP tour.

“On one hand, it seems like it was 20 years ago when I was playing here,” said Becker, in his usual soft-spoken style. “But on the other hand, it seems like I left yesterday. You know, once I got to the site and the players’ lounge and locker room, I saw most of the players, really friends since I haven’t left that long ago. And plus, most all the players made me feel very comfortable, made me feel very much that I belong in this environment.

“And, you know, it feels good. It feels right to be here.”

Tennisreporters.net believes Becker, who has been enjoying hanging around and practicing with the big boys of today, is a great plus for tennis fans. Becker is a true personality and there is no doubt that fans still delight in seeing the German in action.

The three-time Wimbledon champion says he’s remains a rather perfect physical specimen. Apparently, Becker came to this determination after 10 weeks of “basically training the way I used to train, with the difference that I wouldn’t do it every day.”

“I kept pretty much in shape without playing tennis, and I’m a sport fanatic so I played a lot of basketball, a lot of football,” Becker insists. “So I kept my weight the way it was before and I kept in shape. Just, you know, my hand was so soft, and I had blisters for two weeks and my feet were soft from not doing the same things and the same moves.”

While many of us might find it interesting that Becker’s past two years have not included playing much tennis, it seemed like the most reasonable of scenarios for him.

“Do you ever work in your free time?” Becker said, sternly looking out at the media asking the questions. “You know, tennis was my profession. It was like me going to the office, even though it was a different office than yours, probably. You know, I play with my kids so I played with friends, but then again, not to the point that I would call it playing tennis. I didn’t put on my shoes and my wrist band.”
Becker claims that this return to the tour will not extend to the singles arena, but he did at times leave doubt as to whether that is a possible future option.
In one breath Becker emphatically stated, “I haven’t played for two years and I’m not trying to come back for the men’s tour. I want to make that clear. I think that book is clear.”

But then there were those other comments that peppered his news conference that made tennisreporters.net wonder what was really on the German’s mind.
There was the thought that “it wasn’t really a question that I stopped because I wasn’t good enough to be number one, but I was still good enough, maybe, to be number 10.”

Or how about the opening quote of the press conference that “I’ve decided to come back on the tennis circuit not necessarily for tournaments like in singles, but I’m going to play with the old guys.”

And then there was the wish that tennis resembled another sport saying, “I’m unfortunately with the seniors and not allowed to play the senior events and the professionals. I think it would be a good idea if you could do both like in golf, but since that is not allowed, I try to mix it up maybe, play a couple of doubles events on the men’s tour and then play senior events or special events.”

Whether Becker could fare well on the regular tour is open to debate and a glance at his game these days. But there is no debate that fans would probably be less concerned with his being a top, top contender as with his showing up and playing his brand of entertaining tennis.

And, according to Becker his lifestyle has changed very little in the last two years away from life on the tour. While his isn’t on the road playing tennis, he’s apparently been on the road with other ventures since a question by tennisreporters.net to Becker as to where he spends most of his time these days received a familiar response of “In airplanes. That hasn’t changed.”