Ivan Lendl admits that Boris Becker will return home from prison as a tennis icon | Tennis | Sport

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl has opened up about the challenge of facing the “very strong” Boris Becker when the pair played at their peak. Becker’s tennis legacy has been the focus of debate since his release from prison after serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence after being found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.

The two tennis titans contested three major finals in eight years. However, Lendl has suggested that his former nemesis could often run “cold and hot”, which would determine which version of Becker appeared in court.

“There were a few challenges playing Boris,” said the Czech during a recent performance Craig Shapiro’s Tennis Podcast. “He was very powerful, so he was able to control the points. Nobody wants an opponent to control the points, right?”

Lendl won 11 of his 21 matches against Becker, but the latter dominated their record at major tournaments, winning five of six Grand Slam matches. That includes one final win each at the Australian Open (1991), US Open (1989) and Wimbledon (1986).

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