'Always start with yourself': Boris Becker opens up on mental health

ESSEN - Multiple Grand Slam tennis champion Boris Becker held court at Messe Essen on Monday and opened up both on the struggles which came to define him and the mental pressures faced by the rising stars of the sporting world.

The 57-year-old was an animated and engaging presence throughout the hour-long ‘Boris Becker Unplugged’ session held on the sidelines of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games.

‘We are not computers that work after pressing a button - we all have feelings, hopes and doubts,” Becker said.

“Opening up can often be an important step. It used to be taboo to show weakness and fears. Nowadays, the importance of admitting weakness is increasing. You have to work on weaknesses to get better.”

During Becker's glittering career, his coach was a key foil and therapist for him. He needed that support when his life suddenly changed after winning Wimbledon as an unseeded teenager in 1985.

"As a 17-year-old, you can't prepare yourself for everything that comes your way,” he said. “If I hadn't won the final at this young age, it would probably have been healthier for my mind, body and soul. It's kind of my own fault for all the scars I have now."

With all his experience and today's knowledge, Becker would advise his younger self – and the up-and-coming student-athletes who will excel at Rhine-Ruhr 2025 - to take a break.

“There are many phases in an athlete's career where you reach your limits and don't know what to do next,” he said.

“It's important to press the stop button and take a deep breath for a while. When you win a lot as a young athlete and are successful, the biggest challenge is to maintain this level over a long period of time.

“There are defeats where you have to accept that the other person was better. It's difficult because - especially in your twenties - you think you're perfect, but you're not. The earlier you accept that, the stronger you become.”

EMPATHY FOR STRUGGLING STAR

Becker, who now works as a pundit, TV commentator, and tennis analyst, won a total of six Grand Slam titles, including three Wimbledon championships. After retiring from professional tennis in 1999, he worked as a coach for several top players, including Novak Djokovic (SRB), Holger Rune (DEN), and briefly Mischa Zverev (GER) – the older brother of current world No.3, Alexander Zverev (GER).

Becker was a concerned onlooker last month when the younger Zverev divulged that he felt “empty” and “alone” after losing in the first round of Wimbledon. At Messe Essen on Monday, Becker said he felt his pain.

"Alexander Zverev is a kind of sporting foster son for me; I have a lot of empathy for him," Becker said.

“If I had been his coach, I would have advised him not to reveal such insights about his mental state in the Wimbledon press conference. Ideally, you don't open your heart when you are eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.”

Becker still believes in Zverev: “Possibly it was the necessary revelation that he needed. I am convinced that he will still win his Grand Slam and can become number one at some point.

"Becoming number one is difficult, but staying number one is the hardest thing in the world.“

TOLERANCE AND RESPECT

Becker believes that it is important to continue to develop after your sporting career; and to take time to redefine yourself by building a second career after retirement.

“The tennis court used to be my stage, now it's the television," he said. “If I commentate on the big tennis tournaments, then it is certain that I will also commentate on the final. I can't be eliminated. That feels good."

Sport brings people together and for Becker, that's exactly what the FISU World University Games are all about.

“There are 8,000 athletes (here) and everyone treats each other peacefully,” he said.

“Regardless of what God we believe in or what colour we are, whether we are tall or short, fat or thin, we are athletes and we fight hard on the court.

“But afterwards we shake hands.”

FGNS mmb/ph