Boris Becker suggests Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal paved a way for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to be fierce rivals but also have a solid relationship.
When Becker - who is now 57 years old - turned pro in the early 1980s, it wasn't a secret that the best players from that time kept it straight business and didn't have much of a relationship with their biggest rivals. That pretty much stayed the case for many more years and translated into the 21st century.
When Nadal first came to the Tour, Federer was already a major star. It didn't take long before they formed one of the most entertaining rivalries. However, there was never tension between the two - they maintained a good relationship throughout their entire careers - and the Spaniard cried during the Swiss' 2022 Laver Cup farewell.
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With the Big Three era gone, there is a new rivalry in men's tennis that stood out as the best - the one between Alcaraz and Sinner.
Becker: Friendships didn't exist when I was playing... Federer and Nadal transformed how rivals look at each other
"In our era, we weren't friends. That didn't really exist. Imagine me being friends with McEnroe or Lendl... impossible. (Laughs, ed.) I got along with Stefan Edberg, I respected him a lot, but it wasn't like today," former six-time Grand Slam champion Becker told Gazzetta.
"In my opinion, the theme of friendship between rivals changed with Federer and Nadal. They transformed the way two great opponents treat each other, and that was a good thing: an excellent example for young people. I think it's wonderful that Sinner and Alcaraz have this chemistry off the court: you can feel the great mutual respect, they like each other, they have no problem doing things together. Yet on the court, they are fierce rivals. It's a positive role model for the new generation."
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Alcaraz, 22, and 24-year-old Sinner have played against each other already 15 times on the main stage and the Spaniard leads their head-to-head 10-5. Today, they will be meeting for the 16th time in the ATP Finals final.
