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Roger Federer crashed out at the quarterfinal stage of Wimbledon 2021 with a straight-sets loss to Hubert Hurkacz. The Swiss is an eight-time champion at SW19 but he was comprehensively outplayed by Hurkacz, which ended his hopes of a dream comeback.
Roger Federer's performance at Wimbledon has led many to question his future, including six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker. The German had claimed in the immediate aftermath of the loss that we might never see Federer at SW19 again.
Now in a new column for the Daily Mail, Becker has reiterated those concerns, while also touching upon the rise of the younger players on tour. The German also claimed that while Roger Federer probably didn't go into Wimbledon worrying about his future, the manner of his defeat to Hurkacz may have planted a seed of doubt in his mind.
"I think Roger arrived here thinking everything was pretty much going to his plan, which was to recover from his knee problems, get fit on the clay and put himself in a strong position to go very deep at SW19," Becker said. "I don't believe that he came here deliberating when the best time is to retire, but he may well be doing so now. The manner of his defeat to Hubert Hurkacz changed things."
Boris Becker further claimed that the sport of tennis is very lonely, and that Roger Federer's current situation - coming off his very first bagel at Wimbledon - would be "mentally challenging" for him.
"There is a hesitancy on my part to suggest what he should do because one thing I learned is that in tennis you are ultimately on your own," Becker said. "You can be supported and have all the off-court help but the sport puts you in the situation where you are alone out there. It is mentally very challenging and only he will know how losing that 6-0 set really felt."
The pace of change at the top of the men's game would have taken Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic by surprise: Boris Becker
During the course of his column, Boris Becker once again surmised that Roger Federer may not be back at SW19 next summer. The 53-year-old also asserted that the rise of the younger generation would have caught Federer, Nadal and Djokovic off-guard.
"I have the feeling that he (Roger Federer) will not be back at Wimbledon this time next summer after what happened this week, which I think will have been a shock to him," Becker said. "Not just to Roger, because the pace of change at the top of the men's game has been rapid this year, and it will have taken Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal by surprise, if for different reasons."
Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini have all faced Novak Djokovic in Grand Slam finals this year. Moreover, Rafael Nadal is the only one of the Big 3 to have won a Masters title in 2021 so far.
Becker claimed that while Djokovic is still at the top of his game, Federer and Nadal, alongside Andy Murray, would be worried about the rise of the next generation.
"One constant is that Djokovic is the last man standing from what we used to know as the Big Four," Becker said. "The other three - Andy Murray was once put in that bracket - have lots to contemplate, and the changing of the guard really is upon us."
Boris Becker went on to talk about the privileges that Roger Federer has earned by virtue of the work he has put into his career over the years. The German claimed that Federer has the right to go out on his own terms, especially given the way his year has gone so far.
"Roger has earned the right to go out on the terms that he likes," Becker said. "He has been the most popular player ever and taken interest around the world to new heights, giving more to the game than anyone has done before. I believe he was originally thinking of playing on well into next year, but I doubt that is the case now."
Roger Federer returned to competitive action in Doha after spending more than a year recovering from multiple knee injuries. The quarterfinal finish at Wimbledon has been his best result in his four tournament appearances since then.
Becker further claimed that both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have "fed off each other" throughout their careers, and that both would be aware they are part of a "chasing pack" behind Novak Djokovic.
"Roger and Rafa have fed off each other so it will be interesting to see if it has had an effect on the Spaniard when he returns next month in Washington DC," the 53-year-old said. "They will be aware that the players around ten years younger are getting better - it is now Novak and then quite a big chasing pack."
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