Boris Becker Believes Germans Did Well at the Davis Cup
Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker says he thinks the German team did a good job at the Davis Cup, especially since they played without their top player, Alexander Zverev.
In an interview to Eurosport, Becker says, (It was) positive. You could not expect us to beat Argentina and Chile. Especially since we did not play with our number one. Jan-Lennard Struff, Philipp Kohlschreiber and the doubles around Andreas Mies and Kevin Krawietz have done very well. We were glad that we reached the quarterfinals. Every country has played with its strongest team. Sascha Zverev was clearly missing from us - also as far as the plan is concerned. We only started on Wednesdays. In the quarterfinals, everyone was already battered. The tournament can not take place in these eight days - that's just too short.
Just as others, Becker was not happy about the scheduling of matches but also had some good words for the organizers. "The match between Italy and America ended at 4:06 at night. Both had to play again the next day. That simply does not work. The organizers have to think about the schedule. This can not be done in a week, especially if you start on Wednesday. We have missed a day off, with or without Zverev. Although we had a replacement with Dominik Koepfer, we did not want to throw him directly without any prior matches. Britain let out Andy Murray after his first game. That was not possible with us. We always had to start with one and two. The biggest problem is time. But I also have to praise the organizers: The event was very well organized. The conditions and indoor courts were really good."
Becker added that playing on home was a big advantage for Spain. "It is an incredible home advantage for Spain. You have not lost on your home turf for 19 years. The story repeats itself. That's not fair for the other teams. It has been seen that all the players who were there did their best. Everyone wanted to win. That's the Davis Cup format: Everyone likes to play for their country. Finally, it remains to say that it is difficult for some - even good - teams due to the short time and the planning at the matches, to get far. The timing is also a problem. Also in this format, you have to start earlier in the year. My best time would be after the US Open. There is now the Laver Cup, but you could theoretically play the Davis Cup over two weekends. Whether that takes place in Madrid or America would not be so important anymore."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2XZYtOa
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