"The emperor has left us! He was my role model" - Boris Becker pays tribute to German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer after his passing

Boris Becker paid tribute to German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer after he passed away on January 7 at the age of 78.

Franz Beckenbauer is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. He made his name as a central defender and captained West Germany to title glory in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Beckenbauer repeated the feat as West Germany manager at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

The German holds numerous other accolades, including a hat-trick of European Cups with Bavarian soccer giant Bayern Munich in the mid-70s. In his later years, Beckenbauer reportedly suffered from a health condition that deteriorated his judgment and memory. He lost vision in one of his eyes in 2019, and his health started worsening in April 2023.

Boris Becker, the legendary German tennis star, paid tribute to Franz Beckenbauer via a post on X (formerly Twitter). The former ATP World No. 1 hailed Beckenbauer as his role model and supportive figure and offered condolences to the soccer legend's wife, Heidi, and his four children, Thomas, Michael, Joel, and Francesca.

"The emperor has left us! He was my role model/mentor and always had a shoulder for me to lean on! My heartfelt condolences go out to him. Wife Heidi and his children Thomas, Michael, Joel and Francesca! Franz always had a smile on his face...We will all miss you very much!" Becker wrote. (Translated from German)

---

Boris Becker lauds Holger Rune for his performance at Brisbane International 2024

Holger Rune and Boris Becker

Boris Becker recently joined the coaching team of Danish No. 1 Holger Rune to help the youngster take the next step in his burgeoning career. Rune recently played at the 2024 Brisbane International and reached the final as the No. 1 seed.

Rune bettered Max Purcell, Alexander Shevchenko, James Duckworth, and Roman Safiullin before falling to No. 2 seed Grigor Dimitrov in the title contest, 7-6 (5), 6-4. This was Dimitrov's first tour-level title since 2017.

While Rune failed to get his hands on the trophy, his showing at the Brisbane International was a positive sign for what is ahead of him on the 2024 ATP Tour. Becker lauded the World No. 8 for his performances at the ATP 250 tournament. He also congratulated Dimitrov for being the better player on the day and winning the title.

"Good first tournament of the year for @holgerrune2003 ! After the winter break, we got 5 matches against quality opponents, unfortunately fell on the last hurdle. But we want to congratulate @GrigorDimitrov ( who was the better player today) Onwards and upwards! Melbourne next,” Becker posted on X.