Boris Becker’s criticism of claiming that Roger Federer’s popularity and financial success resulted from his image that hides true feelings about being liked by everyone once left the Swiss tennis player in shock.
Boris Becker in his 2015 memoir “Boris Becker’s Wimbledon: My Life and Career at the All England Club” criticized the Swiss maestro, Becker stated that Federer’s status as one of the highest-paid athletes was largely due to his likability. He mentioned that the Swiss’s financial success was linked to maintaining a carefully crafted public image rather than being his true self.
“The reason Roger is one of the highest-paid athletes of all time is because he’s liked by everybody. But think about this – you can’t possibly be liked by everyone. He makes good money out of his image, but would he make less if we saw a bit of his true feelings”
-Boris Becker in his book
Federer who was taken aback by the remarks, expressed confusion and found it odd, especially due to the relationship they have shared over the years and because he considered Boris as one of his heroes.
He mentioned that Boris’s remarks might have been a strategy to create controversy and increase the sales of his book.
“I don’t really know what he was trying to say. I know him somewhat well and we get along really well. He was a hero of mine. It’s odd to hear that. I don’t try to please everyone. I am just trying to be myself.”
“Does[Becker] get carried away by seeing too many advertisements[of me]? Maybe, Add then he thinks, ‘Oh, that’s [Federer’s] image.’ But he knows very who I am….Books are there to be sold. I read into that [comment] a bit more like that.”
-Roger Federer said in an interview with USA Today
According to Patrick Mouratoglou, Roger Federer falls short of being the GOAT
Roger Federer who played tennis for more than two decades, was a member of the ‘Big 3’ alongside Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He retired in 2022 at the Laver Cup with 20 Grand Slam titles and only Rafael Nadal at 22 and Novak Djokovic at 24 have more titles than him.
Despite his unmatchable achievements, Serena William’s ex-coach Patrick Mouraatoglou stated that when it comes to achievements, the Swiss is not the Greatest Of All Time(GOAT).
“No doubt that Roger’s elegance and inspired tennis is unmatched as much as there is no discussion about who is the Goat. In that matter, sports achievements is the only metric.”
-Patrick Mouratoglou on X
