Boris Becker says there is a ‘fault’ in the tennis system as he makes point about Novak Djokovic

Follow us on Google Discover

The 2025 tennis season continues as players travel to the Spanish capital for this year’s Madrid Open.

ATP and WTA Tour players are competing at the Madrid Open this week, in search of glory on the clay.

In 2024, Andrey Rublev and Iga Swiatek won in Madrid, taking down Felix Auger-Aliassime and Aryna Sabalenka in the respective finals.

Of the 96 players competing at the 2025 men’s Madrid Open, six have already withdrawn or retired from matches since the tournament began.

A similar phenomenon occurred last year, as one ATP Tour legend now explains the tennis system ‘fault’ which he thinks is the root of the problem.

Boris Becker says there is a ‘fault in the system’ that encourages injured players to compete

Speaking on the Becker Petkovic podcast, former six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker shared his thoughts on the issue of injured players competing in tournaments.

“There is a fault in the system,” he said.

“It can’t be that a half-injured player is allowed to compete in a tournament where everyone knows he’s actually not fit, so he doesn’t have the penalty at the end of the year.

“That can’t be the meaning and purpose of a professional sport, that players have to compete injured, because otherwise they lose money.”

Becker understands why players choose to do so, as their careers could end at any moment.

“A tennis career is finite. It can be over with a bad injury tomorrow,” he said.

“Not everyone is as lucky as [Novak] Djokovic and [Rafael] Nadal, and [Roger] Federer. Most of them really have to work afterwards and enter their normal professional life.

“That’s why you have to make sure that you just do as much as possible during your career because you never know what will happen next.”

Becker’s co-host Andrea Petkovic then recalled how much money she missed out on when she missed ‘mandatory’ tournaments during her career.

“On the women’s tour, there were eight [WTA 1000s] at the time, I think. Then six [WTA] 500s and I think two [WTA] 250s. You had to play once every six months,” she said.

“For those who don’t know, you’ll get a bonus payment when you fulfil everything.

“One year, I missed two tournaments that I couldn’t play. It cost me $250,000.

“That’s why you see players not fit in the first round from time to time.”

Petkovic agreed with Becker, as she understands why players play in ‘mandatory’ tournaments even if they’re not 100%.

“On the one hand, you could say yes, but you have enough money, you have earned enough prize money. But you know, this career is finite,” she said.

“Life goes on. If you’re not careful, the money will be gone quickly.

“[A tennis career] is sometimes ten to 15 years. If you’re lucky, longer like a Novak Djokovic, if you’re unlucky, shorter like a Juan Martin del Potro.”

The Argentine played his final professional match in 2022, at the age of 33, having struggled with injuries throughout his career.

Del Potro then waved farewell in an exhibition match with Djokovic in Buenos Aires earlier this year.

Boris Becker has heard players ‘groaning’ about the packed tennis schedule

Becker then looked at the number of tournaments players are required to compete in on the ATP Tour.

“All the players are groaning, it’s the end of April now, all the players are moaning about this incredibly packed tournament schedule,” he said.

“The top ten players need nine [tournaments] from the Masters series; then they have to play five from the [ATP] 500s.

“Then you’re already at 14, then you have four Grand Slams, then you’re at 18. Then, if you qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin, then you have 19 plus Davis Cup. That’s a lot.

“At some point, this not only affects the body and legs, but also the psyche, so that you just don’t feel like playing and training tennis.”

Four of the players who finished 2024 ranked inside the world’s top ten played 20 or more ATP tournaments last year, not including participation in team events such as the Laver Cup, Davis Cup, and United Cup.

Whether those numbers are sustainable or not remains to be seen, although it will certainly be something to keep an eye on.

The stars of men’s and women’s tennis continue to battle it out at the mandatory Madrid Open tournament this week, with the finals taking place on May 3 and May 4.