Boris Becker called out “clickbait media” as the former world No. 1 strongly denies that he insinuated that Novak Djokovic was faking an injury.
The German tennis legend, who has been covering Grand Slams for Eurosport for years, previewed the semifinal matches at the Australian Open.
And when asked to share his thoughts on if Alexander Zverev could beat the record 24-time Grand Slam champion, the 57-year-old noted that the German tennis star “mustn’t let himself be put off his game.”
“No one has played more Grand Slam matches, no one has won more Grand Slams. He really has experienced everything you can experience on the tennis court,” Becker told Eurosport before the semifinal matches.
“Sascha has to stick to his game and show his strengths – his serve, his baseline strokes and his fitness. He mustn’t let himself be put off his game, whatever his opponent does.”
Becker rips misleading reports
While the former six-time Slam winner probably meant in his comments that Zverev needed to stay true to his game, some thought that he was indirectly telling the 27-year-old that he shouldn’t fall to the trick and believe that Djokovic was injured.
For context, the Serb took a medical timeout before beating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal.
“I have never questioned the severity of @DjokerNole injury! Probably someone did wrong translation from German into English… Schatzi is family for me since 2013! It’s all about the click-bait these days and not about facts!” Becker wrote on X.
I have never questioned the severity of @DjokerNole injury!
Probably someone did wrong translation from German into English…
Schatzi is family for me since 2013 !
It’s all about the click-bait these days and not about facts!@AustralianOpen @Eurosport_DE— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) January 25, 2025
Meanwhile, the Zverev and Djokovic match in Melbourne finished with a retirement.
After the world No. 2 won the first set, the 37-year-old Serb walked to the net and retired.
Later, Djokovic revealed that it was a muscle tear and even posted his MRI scan results so everyone could see that it was a real injury.
Tennis World USA