"I am convinced that I could help him," Becker responds to Petkovic about a potential collaboration with Shelton

Tennis legend Boris Becker does not rule out returning to the professional circuit to coach a player. While Andrea Petkovic stated that she had a dream in which the German was coaching Ben Shelton, the main person involved responded to his compatriot, and he is not indifferent to the qualities of the world No. 9 player.

By Adrien Guyot

le 20/11/2025 à 09h22

Becker Petkovic Shelton

This year, Ben Shelton has taken another step forward. The 23-year-old American entered the top 10 for the first time in his career, then the top 5, and won his first Masters 1000 title at the Toronto tournament against Karen Khachanov. The left-hander with the devastating serve also competed in the ATP Finals in Turin for the first time, which rewarded his many efforts this season.

Since the beginning of his professional career, Ben Shelton has been working with his father Bryan, who is his coach, but that hasn't stopped former German player Andrea Petkovic from having a dream for Shelton: "I dreamed that Boris Becker would become Shelton's coach and that he would win the next Grand Slam. He would be the first to break the domination of Alcaraz and Sinner. If that happens, I would want a new job, that of a witch or a fortune teller," Petkovic notably stated in recent hours. A statement that prompted a reaction from Becker himself.

"I think it's a very nice dream. But you have to be a bit American, meaning to be present on site during training phases and accompany the players during tournaments. If I were ten years younger and if I didn't have my wife and child... This player attracts me enormously.

I understand his way of playing, his serve, his aggressiveness. I am convinced that I could help him. I admire Shelton and I am a big fan of his game. The boy was ranked 5th in the world and he still has a lot of room for improvement. It's incredible.

He is very strong mentally. I never get the impression that he is afraid to win or that he respects his opponent too much. His father told me that they still discuss between themselves. Ben wants to convince him that he can also play well from the baseline. His father tells him: 'You have the best serve, come to the net more often.' You can clearly see in the matches that he plays too much from the baseline and not enough at the net," concluded Becker for Tennis Up To Date.