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Open Court
Becker Shocked by Djokovic Backlash; Featuring Ana Ivanovic; U.S. Open by the Numbers; Althea Gibson's Supreme Legacy
Aired August 21, 2014 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PAT CASH, CNN HOST (voice-over): New York, a city that's always welcomed those with a dream and at this time of the year, the dream
bringing people to town is one of the tennis world's biggest prizes.
Hello and I'm Pat Cash in New York City for the final Grand Slam of the year, the awesome scenery from the Staten Island Ferry isn't the only
view in town, especially if you're a tennis fan.
Coming up on the show, Boris Becker moves from commentator to coach.
BORIS BECKER, TENNIS PRO (voice-over): Honestly, the life for me is full of people that don't want this relationship to work.
CASH (voice-over): He's won Wimbledon with the World number 1 Novak Djokovic, but will it be enough to quiet the critics?
BECKER (voice-over): This is a part of being Boris Becker. I wasn't aware that I had that many doubters.
(LAUGHTER)
BECKER (voice-over): I must have sat on many tours in my life.
CASH (voice-over): Plus it's time to ask Ana, the Serbian superstar is answering your questions.
ANA IVANOVIC , TENNIS PRO (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE). Actually, if I say it's explaining humor, I think, oh, that doesn't sound nice. But it's
so yummy.
CASH (voice-over): See how you can get involved in this new OPEN COURT segment -- 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57...
Plus we're counting on you to stay tuned for this one: a look at the U.S. Open by the numbers.
And she's the forgotten hero of American tennis. Hear how her remarkable story has inspired one of the game's greats.
CASH: I'm here at the giant Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is the main court of the U.S. Open. Twenty-five years ago, a German wunderkind named
Boris Becker won this title with a rare combination of athleticism, burning power, mixed with touch and finesse. Well, it's been a few years since
Boris has retired but this year he's made a successful return to the court in a way many didn't expect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BECKER (voice-over): Hit the memory lane a little bit. It was the best year I ever had in tennis. Winning Wimbledon the third time was very
important for Europeans. New York was a whole different animal. It was a bit too loud and a bit too noisy and there were too many planes over the
stadium. It came from the New York crowd, who couldn't give an award, who's playing out there, some guy from Germany.
My father struggled with the atmosphere. So you know, I was talking to my coach. And he said, well, in order for you to win a tournament, you
have to embrace. And I had a good round and I ended up beating Ivan Lendl in the final.
When you're a successful American sports, you're a real superstar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): You know what happened? Twenty-five years after winning the U.S. Open, Becker is back on the ATP tour. I
caught up with him at the Western and Southern Open outside Cincinnati, where Becker was preparing Novak Djokovic for a U.S. Open run.
The Serbian star hired Becker to be his head coach at the start of the season.
Did you think your phone was going to ring at any point? Were you interested in coaching --
(CROSSTALK)
BECKER (voice-over): Well, I had a couple of phone calls, believe me, the last couple of years from a few players. But I didn't think I was
ready. I didn't -- you know, I have a pretty successful second career, which had nothing to do with tennis and had nothing to do with sports. So
for and I was already on the road so many years. And why bother?
Then Novak called me in October and I was honored. I was -- and I appreciated the fact that he remembered me and remembered that maybe I
could bring something to the table he doesn't have yet. And then I considered going back on the road. But I wanted to talk to him first to
see how much his drive is, because I'm not going to spend weeks and weeks on the road and then don't see my wife and my kids. It was not worth it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you think he reached out to you in particular?
BECKER: Well, I was known to be a pretty hardnosed guy on the court. I put on a character in a match. And maybe that's something that he was
looking for.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): When you hooked up and when you made this announcement, there was a lot of eyebrows raised in the media, wasn't
there, a lot of kind of disbelief almost, that you would be coaching Novak Djokovic.
How did that make you feel?
A lot of people doubted you.
BECKER: Yes, a little bit strange, a little bit surprised. I wasn't aware that I had that many doubters.
(LAUGHTER)
BECKER (voice-over): I must have sat on many tours in my life for them -- for all of them to accompany the bushes (ph) and then raise the
opinion that we live in a free world and everybody's entitled to their opinion. But I was -- I was a little bit surprised. I mean, I like to
think that I'm very comfortable within the tennis community and know a thing or two about the sport.
This is a part of sometimes being Boris Becker, being so much in the front row of life and so much in the headlines all the time, that a lot of
people feel like they're entitled to their opinion even though they have no idea about me.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): How would you describe your working relationship in the first few weeks?
How did you -- how did you start off?
BECKER: He said he's a great student and somebody that's won so much already, being number 1. (INAUDIBLE) very rich man, he really wants to
learn. He wants to get better. He wants to be in the history books of tennis. Yet he's very hardheaded. He's very convinced about his way --
and he should be. So some of the conversations weren't that easy, were not easy.
But sometimes I have a different point of view. So it's up to my magic to find a way to convince him.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Becker has always been fiercely competitive. And he admits it's a challenge keeping his cool while sitting
in the players' box.
BECKER (voice-over): He's looking up at us in the box and for us to give him confidence. We have to give him the right energy. But inside is
a volcano. It's burning and enough the matches -- you know, goes back to the locker room, "I need a quiet minute."
(LAUGHTER)
BECKER (voice-over): I need to have a quiet minute, too, to relax a little bit and then go back to normal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): But Djokovic stands by his decision to hire Becker.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC, WORLD NUMBER 1: You can't expect the relationship to start off with -- right away with a Grand Slam title. We try to spend as
much as time together as possible on the court, off the court, talking through the emotions that are go on the court, talking through my game, my
mindset.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): At that Australian Open, it ended badly for Novak. He was beaten in the quarterfinals.
How would you describe your relationship at that point?
BECKER: Well, from a tennis point of view, I mean, he lost to a guy, Stan Wawrinka 9-7 in the fifth set, who ended up beating Nadal at the
final. So he didn't lost to any slouch. But obviously the critics had a field day. He's been a three-time defending champion; now Becker's on
board, he's losing in the quarterfinal.
Well, first of all, let's see, how he lost a match against we lost a match, this guy who sits on that, actually number 3 player in the world
today, number 4. So he knows how to play tennis.
But that was to be expected. You can't win all the time and you can't please them all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): And their working relationship grew stronger during the clay court season.
DJOKOVIC: It was actually a time when I started feeling that -- much closer to Boris and when I actually understood what -- you know, what
message he's trying to convey to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): When they arrived at Wimbledon without any major victories in 2014, Djokovic and Becker weren't expecting
any favors from the media.
BECKER (voice-over): Honestly, the locker room is full of people that don't want this relationship to work. So we had to really pull up a gear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): That was some final at Wimbledon this year.
Talk us through your emotions as the game went on and on and on and, in particular, with Roger coming back in the fourth set to force a fifth.
BECKER (voice-over): Well, that was a nightmare.
(LAUGHTER)
BECKER (voice-over): I was a little bit worried to say the least. I thought that Novak was on the ropes and Roger did another Roger. And then
I, you know, expected a tough match. It didn't have to be that tough. But I expected a tough match.
It found I came around full circle. I truly and a lot more (INAUDIBLE) the place. It's giving me everything that I am today. And it
felt right to be coaching Djokovic. And it felt right for him to win.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): You've had such a great tennis career, haven't you? And you are such a competitor.
How does it feel now to be right back in it and to wake up every day coaching the man who's the World number 1?
BECKER (voice-over): It feels like something I haven't felt in a while. Yet at the same time, whatever happened, Wimbledon is lost. I want
to think what's going to happen at U.S. Open. It's a struggle sometimes and it's a fight sometimes. But if it would be easy, anybody could do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CASH (voice-over): Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic aren't the only legends and stars who have teamed up this year on tour. Log on to our
website, cnn.com/opencourt for a look at the pairings which include Roger Federer with Stefan Edberg and Andy Murray with Amelie Mauresmo.
Still to come on OPEN COURT, it's your turn to call the shots.
Fans have their say in a new OPEN COURT segment. First up, Ana Ivanovic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CASH (voice-over): Welcome back to OPEN COURT. Hard work and determination is paying off for Ana Ivanovic. The 25-year-old Serbian star
has reentered the top 10 for the first time in five years. She returns to the Big Apple full of confidence and hoping to finish the season strong.
The former number 1 has a huge fan base who always want to know about the popular star. We ask the questions through social media and you
responded.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): Oh, my God, we travel so much. We have so many experiences. I did a few times kind of cheat with splitting the bag a
little bit, trying to make it lighter because they always tell there's so much (INAUDIBLE).
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Salma (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): What is salma (ph)?
IVANOVIC (voice-over): That's actually, if I start explaining, you might think, oh, that doesn't sound nice. But it's so yummy. And
grandparents make it the best. It's actually -- it's kind of fermented cabbage filled with like minced meat that dries and it's rolled and it's
cooked in tomato broth with some dry ribs. And it's just so good.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): It was when I was 4 or 5 years, you know, before I even had my first lesson, I loved the game and I guess it was
meant to be.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): With Monica Seles and I like her style of game, you know. She was always fighting and very strong and powerful and I
always try to copy her.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): I really enjoyed playing with Novak. You know how (INAUDIBLE) especially as we know each other for so long. It's always
been more fun than just a tennis match.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): Well, (INAUDIBLE) won a lot. If I won, I straightaway answered my parents and my brother because I know they'll
write me messages and but also, you know, I talk to my coach straightaway about what I did good, what I didn't.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): I must say French Open was kind of hard against Lucy (ph). I really felt that I was in good shape on playing and
to finish in that manner was very hard.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): There were tough times in my career and I remember particularly in 2010 was the very hard year for me. And I
remember talking to mom and I'm saying -- I was saying, you know, I don't know if this is what I wanted to keep doing, you know. But then, again, I
pulled back to beginning and why I started and how much I love it.
So that kept me going from these losses and tough lines to learn them more.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
IVANOVIC (voice-over): This is my goal and that's why, you know, I'm still here. I want to work hard though at these many others also want the
same thing. But that's view the competition and I really believe I can achieve it.
CASH (voice-over): Thanks for sending in so many questions for Ana. We'd like to make this a frequent segment on OPEN COURT. So which player
would you like us to feature next? Post your suggests on our Facebook page and be sure to follow us on Twitter.
Eleven, 12...
Fifty-two, 53, 54, 55 --
(CROSSTALK)
CASH (voice-over): And finally, 22,547. Well, that's how many tennis fans can watch a match inside the Arthur Ashe stadium. It's amazing what
you can learn about a place when it's explained by the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CASH (voice-over): Still to come on OPEN COURT, the champion who broke down the color barriers long before Arthur Ashe. Hear the remarkable
story of Althea Gibson after the break.
BILLIE JEAN KING, TENNIS PRO (voice-over): People like Arthur Ashe and others wouldn't have had the opportunity without Althea Gibson being
the first.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CASH (voice-over): Billie Jean King's accomplishments in the tennis world are well-known. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, created the
Women's Tennis Association and even played in the famous Battle of the Sexes challenge match. Whilst her career is well documented, there's
another American champion that she wants you to know about.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KING (voice-over): Althea Gibson's story is quite unexpected and quite wonderful at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): She did it all. Tennis, of course, and golf and singing. And she brought a lot to the table.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KING (voice-over): I saw Althea Gibson play for the first time when I was 13 and because she was already one of my sheroes, I was very excited.
And I wanted to be the number one player in the world. So I said to myself I get to see what that looks like, because you know, to see it is to be it.
She was so exciting to watch. She's almost -- was 6 feet and she had long arms, you know, long legs, very intimidating to the other players, you
could tell.
DAVID DINKINS, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR (voice-over): Grew up in Harlem, learned her tennis much like Billie Jean King, just hitting against
walls and things. And she was pretty damn good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): In New York's Harlem, more than 15,000, half of them white, file somberly through the streets in quiet but
agonized protest. But no American can have freedom and justice unless there is freedom and justice for all.
DINKINS (voice-over): It was different in those days. It was the American apartheid, like South Africa. That's the way we were. Tennis was
played at country clubs and a lot of places that didn't admit people of color. It was tough for her. But she managed anyhow.
KING (voice-over): The African American community really wanted her - - you know, she was their poster child. They wanted her to win and let the racquet do the talking.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): A new tennis queen was born. Althea Gibson of New York became the first of her race to win the title at
Wimbledon, England, and she won the U.S. nationals, too.
DINKINS (voice-over): I don't really know whether she appreciated fully the magnitude of what she had accomplished. To be the first at
anything is by definition an achievement.
KING (voice-over): Winning Wimbledon in the mid-'50s and having the Queen of England present on Centre Court, with the whole world watching,
had to be so joyous. That had to be for everyone, particularly, the black community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): It's a ticker tape parade for Althea Gibson, America's new world tennis queen and the first of her race ever to
win the coveted crown at Wimbledon, 100,000 cheered the 29-year-old New Yorker on her return from England, where a victory culminated seven years
of tennis endeavor, which began on the streets and schoolyards of Harlem.
DINKINS (voice-over): Not everybody gets such a parade. It demonstrated that there was an awareness by some at least of what a
significant accomplishment this was.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KING (voice-over): She would always answer truthfully how it was difficult and that everything with her after she'd finished was just
difficult to make a living. We all tried to get people to pitch in a few dollars here and there. I think we raised at least $50,000 or more to give
to her so she could live and the way she deserved to live, being such a great champion.
DINKINS (voice-over): We as a society failed to recognize those among us who should be revered and that unfortunately is -- had been the case for
Althea.
KING (voice-over): People like Arthur Ashe and others wouldn't have had the opportunity without Althea Gibson being the first. But we need
people to pay attention now and preserve her legacy. So I just hope that we'll continue to honor her.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CASH: A big thank you to Billie Jean King and the former New York City mayor, David Dinkins, for joining us on OPEN COURT and telling us the
Althea Gibson story.
Well, that's all we have for this month's show. Hope you enjoyed it.
Next month we head to Europe, where we will bring you the Davis Cup semifinals.
Until then, it's goodbye from the U.S. Open.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CASH (voice-over): We've made it easy for you to follow all the U.S. Open action. Log on to our website for scores and updates on the final
Grand Slam of the year.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
END
