Boris Becker has fired a warning to 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, insisting that he will be a ‘hunted man’ when he returns to action.
Becker made his own return to professional tennis last week after his spell in prison for hiding £2.5m of assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case, with the 55-year-old German becoming the new coach of Danish world No.6 Holger Rune.
Rune, 20, is among a generation of young stars looking to dominate at the top of the sport in the coming years, with the ‘Big Three’ era approaching a natural end after Roger Federer’s retirement and Nadal set for one last year on the ATP Tour.
Nadal, 37, has not featured since the Australian Open with injury and subsequent surgery ruling him out for the remainder of 2023 but it is thought that the Spaniard will make his return when the Grand Slam rolls back around in January.
Ahead of his comeback, three-time Wimbledon champion Becker, who used to coach Nadal’s rival Novak Djokovic, has sent a warning to the King of Clay.
‘First of all, it’s good news that he wants to play and is on the training field,’ Becker told Eurosport about Nadal. ‘It will be a long, rocky road back.
‘The young wild ones don’t sleep. They don’t say, ‘Nadal, it’s nice that you came… We’ll let you win now’ – he will always be a hunted man.’
Becker also labelled Nadal ‘one of the most important players of all time’ and feels he is still capable of landing the biggest titles despite his injury problems.
‘Rafa is one of the most important players of all time, and a player like that has to stop on the court not because of an injury,’ Becker added.
‘The family has to play along, he has a wife and now also a small son. Everyone has to join in to support him. Nadal should go back on the court and play well. As far as I’m concerned, he can win big tournaments again.’
MORE : Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz eyes Rafael Nadal as doubles partner for Paris Olympics
