Boris Franz Becker (born 22 November 1967) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17. Tennis Magazine put Becker in 18th place on its list of the 40 greatest tennis players from 1965 to 2005.[1] Since he retired from the professional tour, media work and his personal life have kept him in the headlines.
[edit] Early life and tennis career
Becker was born in Leimen, West Germany, the only son of Elvira (née Pisch), who was raised in Czechoslovakia, and Karl-Heinz Becker.[2] Becker was raised Catholic.[3][2] His father, an architect, built the tennis centre (Blau-Weiss Tennisklub) in Leimen, where Boris learned the game. Boris turned professional in 1984 and won his first professional doubles title that year in Munich.
As a West German teenager, Becker won his first top-level singles title in June 1985 at Queen's Club and then, two weeks later on 7 July, became the first unseeded player and the first German to win the Wimbledon singles title, defeating Kevin Curren in four sets. At the time, he was the youngest ever male Grand Slam singles champion at 17 years, 7 months (a record later broken by Michael Chang in 1989, who won the French Open when he was 17 years, 3 months). Two months after his triumph, Becker became the youngest winner of the tournament in Cincinnati.
In 1986, Becker successfully defended his Wimbledon title, defeating World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in straight sets in the final.
Becker, then ranked World No. 2, was upset in the second round of Wimbledon in 1987 by the World No. 70 player, Peter Doohan. In the Davis Cup that year, Becker and John McEnroe played one of the longest matches in tennis history. Becker won 4–6, 15–13, 8–10, 6–2, 6–2 (at that time, there were no tiebreaks in the Davis Cup). The match lasted 6 hours and 22 minutes.
Becker was back in the Wimbledon final in 1988, where he lost in four sets to Stefan Edberg in a match that marked the start of one of Wimbledon's great rivalries. Becker also helped West Germany win its first Davis Cup in 1988. He won the year-ending Masters title in New York City, defeating five-time champion Lendl in the final 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6.
In 1989, Becker won two Grand Slam singles titles, the only year he won more than one. After losing to Edberg in the French Open semifinals, he defeated Edberg in the Wimbledon final and then beat Lendl in the US Open final. He also helped West Germany retain the Davis Cup, defeating Andre Agassi in the semifinal round 6–7, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–4. As a result, Becker was named Player of The Year by the ATP Tour. The World No. 1 ranking, however, still eluded him.
In 1990, Becker met Edberg for the third consecutive year in the Wimbledon final, losing a long five-set match. He also failed to defend his US Open title, losing to Agassi in the semifinals.
Becker reached the final of the Australian Open for the first time in his career in 1991, where he defeated Lendl to claim the World No. 1 ranking. Another loss to Agassi in the French Open semifinals kept him from winning the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the year. He was ranked World No. 1 for twelve weeks during 1991, though he never managed to finish a year with that ranking.
Becker was ranked World No. 2 during Wimbledon in 1991 and reached his fourth consecutive final there. However, he lost in straight sets to his German compatriot and World No. 7 Michael Stich. Becker and Stich developed a long-standing fierce rivalry, with the media often comparing the raw, passionate Becker to the level-headed, suave Stich.[citation needed] However, Becker and Stich teamed in 1992 to win the men's doubles gold medal at the Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Becker defeated Jim Courier in straight sets to win the 1992 year-end ATP Tour World Championships in Frankfurt.
Becker reached the Wimbledon final for the seventh time in 1995, defeating Agassi in the semifinals. In the final, however, he lost in four sets to Pete Sampras. He won the year-end ATP Tour World Championships in Frankfurt that year with a straight-set win over Chang in the final.
Becker's sixth and final Grand Slam title came in 1996, when he defeated Chang in the final of the Australian Open. In that tournament, Becker delivered one of the most humorous victory speeches in recent tennis history.[citation needed] When he listed his sponsors, he cut himself short saying that he did not have the whole day left. He then consoled Chang by saying that his (Becker's) days were numbered, while Chang was still a young guy.
After winning the Queen's Club Championships for the fourth time, Becker was widely expected to mount a serious challenge for the Wimbledon title in 1996, but his bid ended abruptly when he damaged his right wrist during a third-round match against Neville Godwin and was forced to withdraw.
Becker in 1994
Becker lost to Sampras in the final of the 1996 ATP Tour World Championships in Hannover 3–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–7, 6–4. Becker saved two match points in the fourth set and held serve 27 consecutive times until he was broken in the penultimate game. Sampras, who had lost to Becker a month earlier in a five-set final in Stuttgart, later called Becker the best carpet player he ever faced.[citation needed]
In 1997, Becker lost to Sampras in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, in what many thought would be Becker's last appearance there. In 1999, however, he played at Wimbledon again, losing in the fourth round to Patrick Rafter.
Becker was most comfortable playing on fast-playing surfaces, particularly indoor carpet (on which he won 26 titles) and grass courts. He reached a few finals playing on clay courts but never won a clay court tournament in his professional career. His best performances at the French Open were when he reached the semi-finals in 1987, 1989, and 1991.
Over the course of his career, Becker won 49 singles titles and 15 doubles titles. Besides his six Grand Slam titles, he was also a singles winner in the year-ending Masters / ATP Tour World Championships in 1988, 1992, and 1995, and at the Grand Slam Cup in 1996. He won a record-equalling four singles titles at London's Queen's Club. In Davis Cup, his career win-loss record was 54–12, including 38–3 in singles. He also won the other two major international team titles playing for Germany – the Hopman Cup (in 1995) and the World Team Cup (in 1989 and '98).
Becker won singles titles in 14 different countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
In 2003, Becker was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Becker occasionally plays on the senior tour and in World Team Tennis. He is also sometimes a commentator at Wimbledon for BBC.
[edit] Playing style
Becker's game was based on a fast and well-placed serve that earned him the nicknames "Boom Boom"[4], "Der Bomber" and "Baron von Slam." He had an unorthodox rocking motion on his serve, and his penchant to dive for volleys across all surfaces endeared him to his fans. His heavy forehand and powerful return of serve were also very significant factors in his game.
Becker occasionally deviated from his serve-and-volley style to try to out-hit from the baseline opponents who normally were at their best while remaining near the baseline. Even though Becker possessed big shots from both wings, this strategy was often criticized by expert commentators.
For much of his career, Becker spent long periods ranked as World No. 2, mostly behind Ivan Lendl. He was the top ranked player for a total of only 12 weeks during two stretches in 1991.
Becker had frequent emotional outbursts on court. Whenever he considered himself to be playing badly, he often swore at himself and occasionally smashed his rackets on court. In contrast to John McEnroe, however, Becker rarely showed aggression toward his opponents. Also in contrast to McEnroe, his level of play and focus tended to be diminished rather than enhanced following these outbursts. Becker's highly dramatic play spawned a plethora of new expressions, such as the Becker Blocker (his trademark early return shot), the Becker Hecht (his flying lunge), the Becker Faust ("Becker Fist"), the Becker Shuffle (the dance he sometimes performed after making important points), and Becker Säge ("Becker Saw" – referring to the way in which he famously pumped his fists in a sawing motion).
Becker was one of the most dangerous players on grass courts and carpet courts. He had less success on clay than other surfaces as he never won a top-level singles title on clay. The closest he came was holding two match points against Thomas Muster in the final of the 1995 Monte Carlo Open. Becker did, however, team up with Michael Stich to win the 1992 men's doubles Olympic gold medal on clay.
Becker played most of his career with racquets from the German company Puma. After production of this racquet was discontinued, he bought the moulds and had them produced by the American company Estusa. He now has his own personal line of racquets and apparel.[citation needed]
[edit] Records
These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
^ Denotes consecutive streak.
Championship
Years
Record accomplished
Player tied
Wimbledon
1985
Youngest Wimbledon champion
Stands alone
Wimbledon
1985-1995
7 finals overall
Roger Federer^
Pete Sampras
[edit] Career Statistics
Boris Becker career statistics
In Grand Slam singles tournaments, Becker's match record is 163–40, giving him an 80.3 winning percentage. The only other male players in the open era with winning percentages over 80 are Bjorn Borg (89.8), Roger Federer (87.5), Rafael Nadal (85.7), Pete Sampras (84.2), Jimmy Connors (82.6), Ivan Lendl (81.9), John McEnroe (81.5) and Andre Agassi (80.9). [5]
[edit] Post-retirement career
This article may contain an inappropriate mixture of prose and timeline. Please help convert this timeline into prose or, if necessary, a list.
Since 2000, Becker has been the principal owner of the tennis division of Völkl Inc.,[6] a tennis racquet and clothing manufacturer. He published a tell-all autobiography Augenblick, verweile doch... (English title: The Player) in 2003.
In October 2005, Becker became a team captain on the British TV sports quiz show They Think It's All Over, a role he held until the show was axed in June 2006.
In October 2006, Becker signed a two-year deal with Vodafone where he would answer selected text messages from fans. The terms of the role performed by Becker would be answering around 300 messages per year. These were predominantly friend requests and trivia about the mens ATP tour. As a result of this Becker has visited several places in Europe promoting the service, including Glasgow, Nairn, Moscow and Airdrie.
In November 2007, Becker joined the Team PokerStars group of poker players sponsored by the PokerStars online poker cardroom.[7] As part of the Team, Becker will play in major poker tournaments like the European Poker Tour.
In May 2009, Becker announced the launch of online media platform Boris Becker TV. The website, in English and German, features clips from his career and footage of his daily life. [8]
[edit] Personal life
Becker lives in Schwyz, Switzerland. He is a fan of German football club Bayern Munich and serves on its advisory board alongside former Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber. He is also a fan of Chelsea FC.[9].
[edit] Relationships
Becker with Barbara Feltus in 1992
On 17 December 1993, Becker married actress and designer Barbara Feltus, the daughter of an African-American father and German mother, who later became a well known photographer in Germany. A month later, on 18 January 1994, their son Noah Gabriel was born. He was named after Becker's friends Yannick Noah and Peter Gabriel. Their second child, Elias, was born on 4 September 1999. Before the marriage, they shocked some media in Germany by posing nude for the cover of Stern (the picture was taken by her father).
Becker initiated a separation from Barbara in December 1999, saying he merely wanted some time out. However, Barbara flew to Miami, Florida, U.S. a week later with Noah and Elias and filed a divorce petition in Miami-Dade County Court, sidestepping their prenuptial agreement, which had entitled her to a single $2.5 million payoff. The January 2001 pretrial hearing was broadcast live to Germany. Becker was granted a divorce on 15 January 2001. She got a $14.4 million settlement, their condo on the exclusive Fisher Island, and custody of Noah and Elias.
In February 2001, Becker acknowledged paternity of a daughter, Anna (born 22 March 2000), with Angela Ermakova. The child was the result of a brief sexual encounter in 1999 in a closet in a sushi restaurant at a London hotel. He had been out drinking following losing a main draw singles match at the Wimbledon Championships, in what had been a come-back to the venue of his greatest success. Becker initially denied paternity, but admitted he was the child's father after a DNA test. In November 2007, he obtained joint custody of Anna after expressing concerns over how her mother was raising her.[10]
Becker was engaged to Alessandra Meyer-Wölden for some months in 2008. Her father, Axel Meyer-Wölden, was Becker's most trusted advisor and manager in the 1990s. The couple broke up in November 2008 after she texted him saying that the relationship wasn't working.[11]
On 28 February 2009 on the German ZDF TV show "Wetten Dass", Becker announced that he and Dutch model Sharlely “Lilly” Kerssenberg would be getting married on 12 June 2009 in St Moritz, Switzerland.[12] [13] They did marry on that day.[14] On 1 August 2009 Becker and Kerssenberg announced that they were expecting a child.[15]
Becker was born in Leimen, West Germany, the only son of Elvira (née Pisch), who was raised in Czechoslovakia, and Karl-Heinz Becker.[2] Becker was raised Catholic.[3][2] His father, an architect, built the tennis centre (Blau-Weiss Tennisklub) in Leimen, where Boris learned the game. Boris turned professional in 1984 and won his first professional doubles title that year in Munich.
As a West German teenager, Becker won his first top-level singles title in June 1985 at Queen's Club and then, two weeks later on 7 July, became the first unseeded player and the first German to win the Wimbledon singles title, defeating Kevin Curren in four sets. At the time, he was the youngest ever male Grand Slam singles champion at 17 years, 7 months (a record later broken by Michael Chang in 1989, who won the French Open when he was 17 years, 3 months). Two months after his triumph, Becker became the youngest winner of the tournament in Cincinnati.
In 1986, Becker successfully defended his Wimbledon title, defeating World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in straight sets in the final.
Becker, then ranked World No. 2, was upset in the second round of Wimbledon in 1987 by the World No. 70 player, Peter Doohan. In the Davis Cup that year, Becker and John McEnroe played one of the longest matches in tennis history. Becker won 4–6, 15–13, 8–10, 6–2, 6–2 (at that time, there were no tiebreaks in the Davis Cup). The match lasted 6 hours and 22 minutes.
Becker was back in the Wimbledon final in 1988, where he lost in four sets to Stefan Edberg in a match that marked the start of one of Wimbledon's great rivalries. Becker also helped West Germany win its first Davis Cup in 1988. He won the year-ending Masters title in New York City, defeating five-time champion Lendl in the final 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6.
In 1989, Becker won two Grand Slam singles titles, the only year he won more than one. After losing to Edberg in the French Open semifinals, he defeated Edberg in the Wimbledon final and then beat Lendl in the US Open final. He also helped West Germany retain the Davis Cup, defeating Andre Agassi in the semifinal round 6–7, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–4. As a result, Becker was named Player of The Year by the ATP Tour. The World No. 1 ranking, however, still eluded him.
In 1990, Becker met Edberg for the third consecutive year in the Wimbledon final, losing a long five-set match. He also failed to defend his US Open title, losing to Agassi in the semifinals.
Becker reached the final of the Australian Open for the first time in his career in 1991, where he defeated Lendl to claim the World No. 1 ranking. Another loss to Agassi in the French Open semifinals kept him from winning the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the year. He was ranked World No. 1 for twelve weeks during 1991, though he never managed to finish a year with that ranking.
Becker was ranked World No. 2 during Wimbledon in 1991 and reached his fourth consecutive final there. However, he lost in straight sets to his German compatriot and World No. 7 Michael Stich. Becker and Stich developed a long-standing fierce rivalry, with the media often comparing the raw, passionate Becker to the level-headed, suave Stich.[citation needed] However, Becker and Stich teamed in 1992 to win the men's doubles gold medal at the Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Becker defeated Jim Courier in straight sets to win the 1992 year-end ATP Tour World Championships in Frankfurt.
Becker reached the Wimbledon final for the seventh time in 1995, defeating Agassi in the semifinals. In the final, however, he lost in four sets to Pete Sampras. He won the year-end ATP Tour World Championships in Frankfurt that year with a straight-set win over Chang in the final.
Becker's sixth and final Grand Slam title came in 1996, when he defeated Chang in the final of the Australian Open. In that tournament, Becker delivered one of the most humorous victory speeches in recent tennis history.[citation needed] When he listed his sponsors, he cut himself short saying that he did not have the whole day left. He then consoled Chang by saying that his (Becker's) days were numbered, while Chang was still a young guy.
After winning the Queen's Club Championships for the fourth time, Becker was widely expected to mount a serious challenge for the Wimbledon title in 1996, but his bid ended abruptly when he damaged his right wrist during a third-round match against Neville Godwin and was forced to withdraw.
Becker in 1994
Becker lost to Sampras in the final of the 1996 ATP Tour World Championships in Hannover 3–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–7, 6–4. Becker saved two match points in the fourth set and held serve 27 consecutive times until he was broken in the penultimate game. Sampras, who had lost to Becker a month earlier in a five-set final in Stuttgart, later called Becker the best carpet player he ever faced.[citation needed]
In 1997, Becker lost to Sampras in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, in what many thought would be Becker's last appearance there. In 1999, however, he played at Wimbledon again, losing in the fourth round to Patrick Rafter.
Becker was most comfortable playing on fast-playing surfaces, particularly indoor carpet (on which he won 26 titles) and grass courts. He reached a few finals playing on clay courts but never won a clay court tournament in his professional career. His best performances at the French Open were when he reached the semi-finals in 1987, 1989, and 1991.
Over the course of his career, Becker won 49 singles titles and 15 doubles titles. Besides his six Grand Slam titles, he was also a singles winner in the year-ending Masters / ATP Tour World Championships in 1988, 1992, and 1995, and at the Grand Slam Cup in 1996. He won a record-equalling four singles titles at London's Queen's Club. In Davis Cup, his career win-loss record was 54–12, including 38–3 in singles. He also won the other two major international team titles playing for Germany – the Hopman Cup (in 1995) and the World Team Cup (in 1989 and '98).
Becker won singles titles in 14 different countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
In 2003, Becker was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Becker occasionally plays on the senior tour and in World Team Tennis. He is also sometimes a commentator at Wimbledon for BBC.
[edit] Playing style
Becker's game was based on a fast and well-placed serve that earned him the nicknames "Boom Boom"[4], "Der Bomber" and "Baron von Slam." He had an unorthodox rocking motion on his serve, and his penchant to dive for volleys across all surfaces endeared him to his fans. His heavy forehand and powerful return of serve were also very significant factors in his game.
Becker occasionally deviated from his serve-and-volley style to try to out-hit from the baseline opponents who normally were at their best while remaining near the baseline. Even though Becker possessed big shots from both wings, this strategy was often criticized by expert commentators.
For much of his career, Becker spent long periods ranked as World No. 2, mostly behind Ivan Lendl. He was the top ranked player for a total of only 12 weeks during two stretches in 1991.
Becker had frequent emotional outbursts on court. Whenever he considered himself to be playing badly, he often swore at himself and occasionally smashed his rackets on court. In contrast to John McEnroe, however, Becker rarely showed aggression toward his opponents. Also in contrast to McEnroe, his level of play and focus tended to be diminished rather than enhanced following these outbursts. Becker's highly dramatic play spawned a plethora of new expressions, such as the Becker Blocker (his trademark early return shot), the Becker Hecht (his flying lunge), the Becker Faust ("Becker Fist"), the Becker Shuffle (the dance he sometimes performed after making important points), and Becker Säge ("Becker Saw" – referring to the way in which he famously pumped his fists in a sawing motion).
Becker was one of the most dangerous players on grass courts and carpet courts. He had less success on clay than other surfaces as he never won a top-level singles title on clay. The closest he came was holding two match points against Thomas Muster in the final of the 1995 Monte Carlo Open. Becker did, however, team up with Michael Stich to win the 1992 men's doubles Olympic gold medal on clay.
Becker played most of his career with racquets from the German company Puma. After production of this racquet was discontinued, he bought the moulds and had them produced by the American company Estusa. He now has his own personal line of racquets and apparel.[citation needed]
[edit] Records
These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
^ Denotes consecutive streak.
Championship
Years
Record accomplished
Player tied
Wimbledon
1985
Youngest Wimbledon champion
Stands alone
Wimbledon
1985-1995
7 finals overall
Roger Federer^
Pete Sampras
[edit] Career Statistics
Boris Becker career statistics
In Grand Slam singles tournaments, Becker's match record is 163–40, giving him an 80.3 winning percentage. The only other male players in the open era with winning percentages over 80 are Bjorn Borg (89.8), Roger Federer (87.5), Rafael Nadal (85.7), Pete Sampras (84.2), Jimmy Connors (82.6), Ivan Lendl (81.9), John McEnroe (81.5) and Andre Agassi (80.9). [5]
[edit] Post-retirement career
This article may contain an inappropriate mixture of prose and timeline. Please help convert this timeline into prose or, if necessary, a list.
Since 2000, Becker has been the principal owner of the tennis division of Völkl Inc.,[6] a tennis racquet and clothing manufacturer. He published a tell-all autobiography Augenblick, verweile doch... (English title: The Player) in 2003.
In October 2005, Becker became a team captain on the British TV sports quiz show They Think It's All Over, a role he held until the show was axed in June 2006.
In October 2006, Becker signed a two-year deal with Vodafone where he would answer selected text messages from fans. The terms of the role performed by Becker would be answering around 300 messages per year. These were predominantly friend requests and trivia about the mens ATP tour. As a result of this Becker has visited several places in Europe promoting the service, including Glasgow, Nairn, Moscow and Airdrie.
In November 2007, Becker joined the Team PokerStars group of poker players sponsored by the PokerStars online poker cardroom.[7] As part of the Team, Becker will play in major poker tournaments like the European Poker Tour.
In May 2009, Becker announced the launch of online media platform Boris Becker TV. The website, in English and German, features clips from his career and footage of his daily life. [8]
[edit] Personal life
Becker lives in Schwyz, Switzerland. He is a fan of German football club Bayern Munich and serves on its advisory board alongside former Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber. He is also a fan of Chelsea FC.[9].
[edit] Relationships
Becker with Barbara Feltus in 1992
On 17 December 1993, Becker married actress and designer Barbara Feltus, the daughter of an African-American father and German mother, who later became a well known photographer in Germany. A month later, on 18 January 1994, their son Noah Gabriel was born. He was named after Becker's friends Yannick Noah and Peter Gabriel. Their second child, Elias, was born on 4 September 1999. Before the marriage, they shocked some media in Germany by posing nude for the cover of Stern (the picture was taken by her father).
Becker initiated a separation from Barbara in December 1999, saying he merely wanted some time out. However, Barbara flew to Miami, Florida, U.S. a week later with Noah and Elias and filed a divorce petition in Miami-Dade County Court, sidestepping their prenuptial agreement, which had entitled her to a single $2.5 million payoff. The January 2001 pretrial hearing was broadcast live to Germany. Becker was granted a divorce on 15 January 2001. She got a $14.4 million settlement, their condo on the exclusive Fisher Island, and custody of Noah and Elias.
In February 2001, Becker acknowledged paternity of a daughter, Anna (born 22 March 2000), with Angela Ermakova. The child was the result of a brief sexual encounter in 1999 in a closet in a sushi restaurant at a London hotel. He had been out drinking following losing a main draw singles match at the Wimbledon Championships, in what had been a come-back to the venue of his greatest success. Becker initially denied paternity, but admitted he was the child's father after a DNA test. In November 2007, he obtained joint custody of Anna after expressing concerns over how her mother was raising her.[10]
Becker was engaged to Alessandra Meyer-Wölden for some months in 2008. Her father, Axel Meyer-Wölden, was Becker's most trusted advisor and manager in the 1990s. The couple broke up in November 2008 after she texted him saying that the relationship wasn't working.[11]
On 28 February 2009 on the German ZDF TV show "Wetten Dass", Becker announced that he and Dutch model Sharlely “Lilly” Kerssenberg would be getting married on 12 June 2009 in St Moritz, Switzerland.[12] [13] They did marry on that day.[14] On 1 August 2009 Becker and Kerssenberg announced that they were expecting a child.[15]
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