Andy Murray recently expressed curiosity about how a younger Boris Becker would fare against today’s top tennis players.
Murray kicked off his Dubai Tennis Championships with a hard-fought victory over Denis Shapovalov in the first round. Despite dropping the first set, Murray rallied to claim the next two sets with scores of 7-6(5) and 6-3.
During his post-match press conference, the former World No. 1 delved into the evolution of tennis over the years. Murray reflected on how players used to specialize in specific surfaces, such as grass or clay, but noted that modern tennis has seen a convergence of play styles due to the similarity of surfaces.
“In the past, you had players who excelled on faster courts like indoors or grass, and others who were clay court specialists. Nowadays, because the surfaces have become more homogeneous, we see fewer players specializing in particular surfaces. Many play styles have become more alike,” Murray observed.
Murray also pondered whether a player renowned for serve-and-volley tactics like Boris Becker could compete effectively against today’s top players.
“It would be intriguing to witness someone like Becker facing off against the current top players to see how they’d fare, because honestly, I’m not sure. The current court conditions have made it challenging to execute that style of tennis,” Murray mused.
