Becker Sees German Tennis ‘Renaissance’

Former German star Boris Becker said Tuesday he believes his country's tennis could be on the cusp of a renaissance - seeing signs of promise particularly among the women.

"I will not be surprised if Andrea (Petkovic) or Sabine (Lisicki) show themselves capable of reaching not just the semi-finals or finals but actually winning a Grand Slam," triple Wimbledon champion Becker told sports news agency and AFP subsidiary SID.

Becker, 44, who earlier this month said he was "too young" to be a candidate for president of the German Tennis Federation (DTB), has nonetheless been advising the body and is "determined to see how I can help German tennis."

He said he now believes players such as Petkovic, who reached three Slam quarter-finals last season, and Wimbledon semi-finalist Lisicki could spark a "renaissance" after relative under-achievement following the 1999 retirement of Steffi Graf and Becker himself.