Storming on to the stage in 1985, the previously unheard of teenager from Germany, Boris Becker, made history by winning the Wimbledon title aged just 17; it was a triumph that was to make him the youngest player ever to have lifted the trophy, and also the first from his country to do so. The unseeded German demolished eighth-seeded Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in the final to clinch the game’s most prestigious title. Becker’s massive serve gained him the label of “Boom Boom”, a title the red-headed wonder resented somewhat, explaining it was “too warlike”. His energetic volleying moves endeared him to fans the world over. Becker’s popularity in his native Germany was massive; he became a pin-up idol for teenage girls, and his loyalty to the nation’s Davis Cup team, which helped produce an astonishing 38 victories and mere three defeats, won him the affection of many a countrymen.
Becker’s memorable 1985 Wimbledon triumph proved to be no fluke; he would return to the All England Club Championships to repeat the same feat the very next year, overcoming Ivan Lendl 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 to record his second Wimbledon win. Becker won the title again in 1989, sealing a decisive win over Sweden’s Stefan Edberg 6-0, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4. Edberg was his most significant opponent, as he defeated the German twice at the same tournament in 1988 and 1990. After the 1990 defeat to Edberg, Borg made it to the Wimbledon final four years later in 1994, vanquishing an on-form Andre Agassi in style before setting up a final with the unstoppable Pete Sampras. Unable to overcome the American’s master serve, Becker eventually succumbed, forfeiting victory 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. The German bid his definitive farewell to the tournament after crashing out to Patrick Rafter in a fourth round clash at the 1999 event.
Quite impressively, Becker was able to maintain a position in the world top-ten slot from 1985 to 1993, and was heralded world number one in 1991 following a win at that year’s Australian Open, a triumph he would emulate in 1996. Becker’s second Australian Open win came at a time when many pundits had already written him off as Grand Slam history. Many questioned the German’s motivation, who by now had settled down with his wife Barbara, and their young son. Yet, Becker landed at Melbourne, all fired up to prove a point, and he would succeed, routing Chang 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the final showdown to seize his sixth major title. Becker also made a mark at the US Open, winning the tournament in 1989, and recorded a remarkable 49 tournament triumphs before concluding his illustrious career on the very ground where it had all started - the Centre Court at Wimbledon.
The six-foot three-inch tall Boris Franz Becker was born on Nov. 22, 1967 in Leiman, Germany. The redhead’s youthful passion for tennis soon evolved into a career choice, and he quit high school in his quest to ascend to the professional arena. Like many other European players, Becker favoured faster grass courts over the slower-paced clay-court surfaces, which explains his many successes at Wimbledon and relative dearth of trophies at the French Open; none of the German’s 49 singles titles was recorded on clay. His greatest accomplishments at the French Open comprised of two semi-final finishes - in 1989 and ’91 – and a quarterfinal exit in 1986. The 1989 season was a sensational one for Becker; a year when he won six tournaments on a match record of 64-8 and destroyed world number one Ivan Lendl 7-6 (7-2), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to win the US Open. Over his 16-year-long career in the professional spheres, Becker accumulated award money worth a staggering $25,080,956, roughly joining the leagues of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. In 2003, some years after his retirement, Boris Becker made it to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Works Cited: "Wimbledon Legends: Boris Becker." BBC News. 31 May 2004.
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