LONDON, June 9 (IANS): Six-time Major winner Boris Becker said tennis no longer has entertaining rivalries because players are too scared of being fined for swearing about their opponents.
The installation of on-court microphones at Wimbledon and other tournaments, capable of picking up every muttered expletive, has created a generation of players hamstrung by political correctness, thinks Becker.
The three-time Wimbledon champion said there is a �open secret� in the tennis world that Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic dislike each other, and that Federer �cannot possibly� be as nice as he appears.
�We have great characters but it�s true they don�t show it as much because they can�t. They get fined and there are microphones on the court that pick up every curse or utterance in frustration,� Becker was quoted as saying by telegraph.co.uk on Monday.
�As a result, it�s very difficult to verbalise your frustration nowadays because everyone hears it and you go back to the locker room to face a fine of $10,000 or $20,000 or even more.�
Becker, currently Djokovic�s coach, said tennis remains a �terrific� sport but it is now �a little too politically correct�. He argued that seeing more rivalry on court would improve ratings for the men�s game and called for more honesty from players.
