The Open Era
Germany · born Leimen, West Germany, 1967 · three times Wimbledon champion
All playersBack to the rankings
17
Age at his 1985 Wimbledon title
7
Wimbledon singles finals, 1985 to 1995
71-12
Wimbledon singles match record
4
Queen's Club singles titles
38-3
Davis Cup singles record
Born in Leimen, West Germany, on 22 November 1967, Becker turned professional in 1984, won his first title at Queen's in June 1985 and, two weeks later, at 17 years and 227 days, became the youngest men's singles champion at Wimbledon. He won six major singles titles: Wimbledon in 1985, 1986 and 1989, the US Open in 1989 and the Australian Open in 1991 and 1996. He reached world No. 1 in January 1991, helped West Germany win the Davis Cup in 1988 and 1989, and won Olympic doubles gold with Michael Stich at Barcelona in 1992. He retired in 1999, coached Novak Djokovic from 2014 to 2016, and entered the Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2022 a UK court convicted him of offences under the Insolvency Act, and he served eight months of a 30-month sentence.
| Major singles titles | 3: Wimbledon (1985, 1986, 1989) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 4: Wimbledon 1988, Wimbledon 1990, Wimbledon 1991, Wimbledon 1995 |
| Other grass singles titles | 4: Queen's 4 (1985, 1987, 1988, 1996) |
| Wimbledon finals won | 1985: Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-4. 1986: Ivan Lendl 6-4, 6-3, 7-5. 1989: Stefan Edberg 6-0, 7-6 (1), 6-4 |
| Wimbledon finals lost | 1988: to Edberg 6-4, 6-7 (2), 4-6, 2-6. 1990: to Edberg 2-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6. 1991: to Michael Stich 4-6, 6-7 (4), 4-6. 1995: to Pete Sampras 7-6 (5), 2-6, 4-6, 2-6 |
| Queen's finals | Won 1985 against Johan Kriek 6-2, 6-3; 1987 against Jimmy Connors 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4; 1988 against Edberg 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; 1996 against Edberg 6-4, 7-6 (3). Lost 1990 to Lendl 3-6, 2-6 |
| Wimbledon record | 71-12 in 15 appearances. As two-time holder in 1987, lost in the second round to Peter Doohan, ranked 70th, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Men's singles | |
| 1986 | Men's singles | |
| 1989 | Men's singles | |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1985 | Men's singles | |
| 1987 | Men's singles | |
| 1988 | Men's singles | |
| 1996 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"I didn't lose a war, and nobody died. Basically, I just lost a tennis match."
The person behind the player.
Queen's 1985
At 16, in his first Wimbledon in 1984, Becker reached the third round before he was carried off on a stretcher against Bill Scanlon. A year later he won Queen's two weeks before the Championships, his first tour title, and the bookmakers made him a popular outside bet. He disliked the nickname the press gave him: Boom Boom.
Source: Tennis.comWimbledon 1985
Becker played half a set of the Championships in a shirt stained with dirt from diving on the grass. He beat Kevin Curren in 3 hours 18 minutes and later called 7 July 1985 his second birthday. "People looked at me like I was from Planet Mars," he told the New York Times. "They said I couldn't have been human to do that."
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1987
Peter Doohan, an Australian ranked 70th who was staying at the Kingston YMCA for $17 a night, beat the two-time champion in the second round. Becker reached break point 11 times and converted once. His girlfriend had been sent home before the event, and the tabloids blamed his social life. Doohan was cheered in the players' locker room.
Source: Sports IllustratedWimbledon 1988 to 1990
Becker and Stefan Edberg met in three straight Wimbledon finals. Edberg won in four sets in 1988, Becker took the 1989 final in straight sets after a 6-0 first set, and Edberg won the 1990 final 6-4 in the fifth after Becker had come back from two sets down. They also met in two Queen's finals, both won by Becker.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1995
Becker liked to call Centre Court his living room. In 1995, ten years after his first title, he won the first set of the final against Pete Sampras on a tie-break, then lost the next three. Afterwards he said: "I'd given Pete the keys to my living room so he owned it now." It was his last Wimbledon final.
Source: SportskeedaWimbledon 2014
After years in the BBC commentary box, Becker became head coach to Novak Djokovic for the 2014 season. Djokovic won Wimbledon that summer, beating Roger Federer in five sets, and again in 2015. The Hall of Fame credits Becker with helping Djokovic to six major titles during their three seasons together.
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