Boris Becker

Boris Becker
Boris Becker2.jpg
Country Germany
Residence Schwyz, Switzerland
Date of birth 22 November 1967 (1967-11-22) (age 41)
Place of birth Leimen, West Germany
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 85 kg (190 lb/13.4 st)
Turned pro 1984
Retired 30 June 1999
Plays Right-handed; one-handed backhand
Career prize money US $25,080,956
  • 4th All-time leader in earnings
Singles
Career record: 713–214 (76.91%)
Career titles: 49
Highest ranking: 1 (28 January 1991)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open W (1991, '96)
French Open SF (1987, '89, '91)
Wimbledon W (1985, '86, '89)
US Open W (1989)
Major tournaments
Masters Cup W (1988, 1992, 1995)
Olympic Games 3R (1992)
Doubles
Career record: 254–136
Career titles: 15
Highest ranking: 6 (22 September 1986)
Major doubles tournaments
Olympic Games W (1992)
Mixed Doubles
Career record: {{{mixedrecord}}}
Career titles: {{{mixedtitles}}}
Highest ranking: {{{highestmixedranking}}}

Infobox last updated on: N/A.

Olympic medal record
Men's Tennis
Gold 1992 Barcelona Men's doubles

Boris Franz Becker (born 22 November 1967, in Leimen, West Germany) 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. Since he retired from the professional tour, media work and his personal life have kept him in the headlines.

Contents

Tennis career

Becker is the only son of the architect who 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 took the sports world by storm in 1985. He won his first top-level singles title in June 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 Cincinnati Masters.

In 1986, Becker successfully defended his Wimbledon title, defeating the then-World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in straight sets in the final.

Becker unexpectedly lost in the second round of Wimbledon in 1987. 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 39 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-end Masters title in New York, defeating five-time champion Lendl in the final 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6.

1989 was possibly the pinnacle of Becker's career. After losing to Edberg in French Open semi-finals, he defeated Edberg in straight sets in the Wimbledon final, and then beat Lendl in the final of the US Open. He also helped West Germany retain the Davis Cup, winning a long match in the semi-final round against Andre Agassi 6–7, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–4. 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 semi-finals.

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 semi-finals kept him from winning the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the year. He was ranked No. 1 for twelve weeks during 1991, though he never managed to finish a year ranked as the World's No. 1 player.

Becker reached his fourth consecutive Wimbledon final in 1991, where he unexpectedly lost in straight sets to his German compatriot Michael Stich. Becker and Stich developed a long-standing fierce rivalry, with the media often comparing up the raw, passionate Becker to the level-headed, suave Stich. However, Becker and Stich teamed up 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, held then in Frankfurt.

Becker reached the Wimbledon final for the seventh time in 1995, gaining a measure of revenge over Agassi by defeating him in the semi-finals. 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 Michael Chang in the final.

Becker's sixth and final Grand Slam title came in 1996, when he defeated Michael Chang in the final of the Australian Open. In that tournament, Becker delivered one of the most humorous victory speeches in recent tennis history. 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.

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 indoor player he ever faced.

In 1997, Becker lost to Sampras in the quarter-finals 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-end Tennis Masters Cup 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.

Playing style

Becker's game was based on a fast and well-placed serve that earned him the nicknames "Boom Boom"[1] "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 outhit 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 and Stefan Edberg. He was the top ranked player for a total of only 12 weeks during two stints 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, hard courts, and indoors. 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 molds and had them continued to be produced by the American company, Estusa. He now has his own personal line of racquets and apparel.

Personal life

On 17 December 1993, Becker married the actress and designer Barbara Feltus, the daughter of an 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 Germans 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, with Angela Ermakova. The child was the result of a brief sexual encounter in 1999 in a closet at a London restaurant/bar. 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.[2]

Becker was convicted of tax evasion on 24 October 2002, when he admitted that he lived in Germany from 1991–93 while claiming to reside in Monte Carlo. He was given two years probation, fined $500,000, and ordered to pay all court costs.[3]

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.

He is a fan of German football club Bayern Munich and serves on its advisory board together with, among others, former Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber. He is also a fan of Chelsea FC.[4]

Becker lives in Schwyz, Switzerland.

Since 2000, Becker has been the principal owner of the tennis division of Völkl Inc.,[5] a tennis racquet and clothing manufacturer.

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.[6] As part of the Team, Becker will play in major poker tournaments like the European Poker Tour.

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.[7]

In the media

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (6)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1985 Wimbledon Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren 6–3, 6–7(4), 7–6(3), 6–4
1986 Wimbledon (2) Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
1989 Wimbledon (3) Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–0, 7–6(1), 6–4
1989 US Open Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–6
1991 Australian Open Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 1–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
1996 Australian Open (2) Flag of the United States Michael Chang 6–2, 6–4, 2–6, 6–2

Runner-ups (4)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1988 Wimbledon Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 4–6, 7–6(2), 6–4, 6–2
1990 Wimbledon Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4
1991 Wimbledon Flag of Germany Michael Stich 6–4, 7–6(4), 6–4
1995 Wimbledon Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 6–7(5), 6–2, 6–4, 6–2

Major tournament singles performance timeline

Tournament 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Career WR Career Win-Loss
Grand Slams
Australian Open QF 2R NH 4R A 4R QF W 3R 1R A 1R W 1R A A 2 / 11 29-9
French Open A 2R QF SF 4R SF 1R SF A 2R A 3R A A A A 0 / 9 26-9
Wimbledon 3R W W 2R F W F F QF SF SF F 3R QF A 4R 3 / 15 71-12
US Open A 4R SF 4R 2R W SF 3R 4R 4R 1R SF A A A A 1 / 11 37-10
Win Ratio 0 / 2 1 / 4 1 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 3 2 / 4 0 / 4 1 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 4 1 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 0 0 / 1 6 / 46 N/A
Win-Loss 6–2 11-3 16-2 11-4 10-3 22-2 15-4 20-3 9–3 9–4 5–2 13-4 9–1 4–2 0–0 3–1 N/A 163-40
Year-End Championship
Masters Cup A F F RR W F SF RR W A F W F A A A 3 / 11 36-13
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells A A A W W 3R SF A A A A SF 2R A A A 2/6 17-4
Miami A 2R 3R 1R A A 2R 2R 4R 2R 2R A A A A 2R 0/8 9–7
Monte Carlo A 2R A 1R 1R F QF F 3R 1R A F 3R 1R QF 2R 0/12 21-12
Rome A SF QF A 1R A A A A 3R F A A 3R A A 0/6 15-6
Hamburg 2R A 1R A SF SF F A SF 3R 1R 1R 3R 3R 1R A 0/12 16-12
Toronto/Montreal A A W SF A A A A A 3R A A A A A A 1/3 9–2
Cincinnati A W A F A SF A SF A A 3R 1R A A A A 1/6 19-5
Stockholm A A A A W 3R W W QF 3R W 3R W 2R 3R A 5/11 33-6
Paris A A W A A W F 2R W QF QF F 1R 2R 1R A 2/11 29-7

NH = tournament not held.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
WR = the ratio of the number of won tournaments to the number of tournaments played.

Singles finals (77)

Wins (49)

Legend
Grand Slam (6)
Tennis Masters Cup (3)
Grand Slam Cup (1)
ATP Masters Series (5)
Grand Prix (34)
Titles by Surface
Hard (16)
Grass (7)
Clay (0)
Carpet (26)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 17 June 1985 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass Flag of South Africa Johan Kriek 6–2, 6–3
2. 7 July 1985 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4
3. 26 August 1985 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard Flag of Sweden Mats Wilander 6–4, 6–2
4. 31 March 1986 Chicago, U.S. Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–6, 6–3
5. 6 July 1986 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
6. 18 August 1986 Toronto, Canada Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
7. 20 October 1986 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 3–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–0
8. 27 October 1986 Tokyo Indoor Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 7–6, 6–1
9. 3 November 1986 Paris Indoor, France Carpet Flag of Spain Sergio Casal 6–4, 6–3, 7–6
10. 23 February 1987 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 6–4, 7–5
11. 6 April 1987 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Miloslav Mečíř 6–4, 6–3
12. 15 June 1987 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–7, 6–3, 6–4
13. 7 March 1988 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez 7–5, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4
14. 18 April 1988 Dallas WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2
15. 13 June 1988 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–1, 3–6, 6–3
16. 8 August 1988 Indianapolis, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States John McEnroe 6–4, 6–2
17. 24 October 1988 Tokyo Indoor Carpet Flag of Australia John Fitzgerald 7–6, 6–4
18. 7 November 1988 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Flag of Sweden Peter Lundgren 6–4, 6–1, 6–1
19. 12 December 1988 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6
20. 20 February 1989 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of the Soviet Union Alexander Volkov 6–1, 6–2
21. 27 February 1989 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Tim Mayotte 7–6, 6–1, 6–3
22. 9 July 1989 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–0, 7–6, 6–4
23. 10 September 1989 US Open, New York City Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–6
24. 6 November 1989 Paris Indoor, France Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 6–3, 6–3
25. 19 February 1990 Brussels, Belgium Carpet Flag of West Germany Carl-Uwe Steeb 7–5, 6–2, 6–2
26. 26 February 1990 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–2, 6–2
27. 20 August 1990 Indianapolis, U.S. Hard Flag of Sweden Peter Lundgren 6–3, 6–4
28. 8 October 1990 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 7–6, 6–4, 6–4
29. 29 October 1990 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 6–0, 6–3
30. 27 January 1991 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 1–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
31. 28 October 1991 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 3–6, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2, 6–2
32. 17 February 1992 Brussels, Belgium Carpet Flag of the United States Jim Courier 6–7, 2–6, 7–6, 7–6, 7–5
33. 2 March 1992 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet Flag of Russia Alexander Volkov 7–6, 4–6, 6–2
34. 5 October 1992 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of Czechoslovakia Petr Korda 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
35. 9 November 1992 Paris Indoor, France Carpet Flag of France Guy Forget 7–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
36. 23 November 1992 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt Carpet Flag of the United States Jim Courier 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
37. 11 January 1993 Doha, Qatar Hard Flag of Croatia Goran Ivanišević 7–6, 4–6, 7–5
38. 15 February 1993 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Spain Sergi Bruguera 6–3, 6–3
39. 14 February 1994 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of the Czech Republic Petr Korda 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
40. 8 August 1994 Los Angeles Hard Flag of Australia Mark Woodforde 6–2, 6–2
41. 22 August 1994 New Haven, U.S. Hard Flag of Switzerland Marc Rosset 6–3, 7–5
42. 31 October 1994 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet Flag of Croatia Goran Ivanišević 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6
43. 13 February 1995 Marseille, France Carpet Flag of the Czech Republic Daniel Vacek 6–7, 6–4, 7–5
44. 20 November 1995 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt Carpet Flag of the United States Michael Chang 7–6, 6–0, 7–6
45. 28 January 1996 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard Flag of the United States Michael Chang 6–2, 6–4, 2–6, 6–2
46. 17 June 1996 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 7–6
47. 14 October 1996 Vienna, Austria Carpet Flag of the Netherlands Jan Siemerink 6–4, 6–7, 6–2, 6–3
48. 28 October 1996 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Carpet Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4
49. 9 December 1996 Grand Slam Cup, Munich Carpet Flag of Croatia Goran Ivanišević 6–3, 6–4, 6–4

* - Year-End Championship Official Names: Before 1989 : Masters, 1990 - 1999 : ATP World Championship

Runner-ups (28)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 18 November 1985 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet Flag of the Czech Republic Ivan Lendl 6–7, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4
2. 20 January 1986 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of the Czech Republic Ivan Lendl 6–2, 7–6, 6–3
3. 14 April 1986 Dallas, U.S. Carpet Flag of Sweden Anders Järryd 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
4. 11 August 1986 Stratton Mountain, Vermont Hard Flag of the Czech Republic Ivan Lendl 6–4, 7–6
5. 8 December 1986 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of the Czech Republic Ivan Lendl 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
6. 24 August 1987 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 6–1
7. 4 July 1988 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 4–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2
8. 30 April 1989 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Argentina Alberto Mancini 7–5, 2–6, 7–6, 7–5
9. 4 December 1989 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 4–6, 7–6, 6–3, 6–1
10. 14 May 1990 Hamburg, Germany Clay Flag of Spain Juan Aguilera 6–1, 6–0, 7–6
11. 18 June 1990 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass Flag of the Czech Republic Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–2
12. 9 July 1990 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4
13. 15 October 1990 Tokyo Indoor Carpet Flag of the Czech Republic Ivan Lendl 4–6, 6–3, 7–6
14. 5 November 1990 Paris Indoor, France Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 3–3, ret.
15. 29 April 1991 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Spain Sergi Bruguera 5–7, 6–4, 7–6, 7–6
16. 8 July 1991 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Germany Michael Stich 6–4, 7–6, 6–4
17. 19 August 1991 Indianapolis, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 7–6, 3–6, 6–3
18. 23 August 1993 Indianapolis, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Jim Courier 7–5, 6–3
19. 16 May 1994 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 6–1, 6–2, 6–2
20. 10 October 1994 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of the Netherlands Richard Krajicek 7–6, 7–6, 2–6, 6–3
21. 21 November 1994 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt Carpet Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
22. 20 February 1995 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7–5, 5–7, 7–6
23. 30 April 1995 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Austria Thomas Muster 4–6, 5–7, 6–1, 7–6, 6–0
24. 10 July 1995 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 6–7, 6–2, 6–4, 6–2
25. 6 November 1995 Paris Indoor, France Carpet Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 7–6, 6–4, 6–4
26. 25 November 1996 ATP Tour World Championships, Hannover Carpet Flag of the United States Pete Sampras 3–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–7, 6–4
27. 13 July 1998 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Flag of Spain Àlex Corretja 7–6, 7–5, 6–3
28. 12 April 1999 Hong Kong Hard Flag of the United States Andre Agassi 6–7, 6–4, 6–4

Doubles finals (27)

Wins (15)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 11 June 1984 Munich, Germany Clay Flag of Poland Wojtek Fibak Flag of the United States Eric Fromm
Flag of Romania Florin Segărceanu
6–4, 4–6, 6–1
2. 24 March 1986 Brussels, Belgium Carpet Flag of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović Flag of Australia John Fitzgerald
Flag of the Czech Republic Tomáš Šmíd
7–6, 7–5
3. 20 October 1986 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of Australia John Fitzgerald Flag of Australia Peter McNamara
Flag of Australia Paul McNamee
6–4, 7–6
4. 30 March 1987 Brussels, Belgium Carpet Flag of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović Flag of the United States Chip Hooper
Flag of the United States Mike Leach
7–6, 7–6
5. 6 April 1987 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović Flag of Spain Sergio Casal
Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
6. 16 November 1987 Frankfurt, Germany Carpet Flag of Germany Patrik Kühnen Flag of the United States Scott Davis
Flag of the United States David Pate
6–4, 6–2
7. 22 February 1988 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Germany Eric Jelen Flag of the Czech Republic Miloslav Mečíř
Flag of the Czech Republic Tomáš Šmíd
6–3, 6–3
8. 7 March 1988 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard Flag of France Guy Forget Flag of Mexico Jorge Lozano
Flag of the United States Todd Witsken
6–4, 6–4
9. 20 March 1989 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek Flag of the United States Kevin Curren
Flag of the United States David Pate
7–6, 7–5
10. 12 March 1990 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard Flag of France Guy Forget Flag of the United States Jim Grabb
Flag of the United States Patrick McEnroe
4–6, 6–4, 6–3
11. 17 February 1992 Brussels, Belgium Carpet Flag of the United States John McEnroe Flag of France Guy Forget
Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek
6–3, 6–2
12. 27 April 1992 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Germany Michael Stich Flag of the Czech Republic Petr Korda
Flag of the Czech Republic Karel Nováček
6–4, 6–4
13. 3 August 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Spain Clay Flag of Germany Michael Stich Flag of South Africa Wayne Ferreira
Flag of South Africa Piet Norval
7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
14. 11 January 1993 Doha, Qatar Hard Flag of Germany Patrik Kühnen Flag of the United States Shelby Cannon
Flag of the United States Scott Melville
6–2, 6–4
15. 20 February 1995 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of France Guy Forget Flag of the Czech Republic Petr Korda
Flag of the Czech Republic Karel Nováček
6–2, 6–4

Runner-ups (12)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 18 November 1985 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović Flag of France Guy Forget
Flag of Sweden Anders Järryd
7–5, 4–6, 7–5
2. 12 May 1986 Forest Hills, U.S. Clay Flag of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović Flag of Chile Hans Gildemeister
Flag of Ecuador Andrés Gómez
7–6, 7–6
3. 18 August 1986 Toronto, Canada Hard Flag of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović Flag of the United States Chip Hooper
Flag of the United States Mike Leach
6–7, 6–3, 6–3
4. 22 September 1986 Hamburg, Germany Clay Flag of Germany Eric Jelen Flag of Spain Sergio Casal
Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez
6–4, 6–1
5. 23 February 1987 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard Flag of Germany Eric Jelen Flag of France Guy Forget
Flag of France Yannick Noah
6–4, 7–6
6. 19 October 1987 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of the United States Robert Seguso Flag of Australia Darren Cahill
Flag of Australia Mark Kratzmann
6–3, 6–2
7. 24 October 1988 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet Flag of Germany Eric Jelen Flag of Ecuador Andrés Gómez
Flag of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović
7–5, 5–7, 6–3
8. 15 May 1989 Hamburg, Germany Clay Flag of Germany Eric Jelen Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez
Flag of Spain Javier Sánchez
6–4, 6–1
9. 26 March 1990 Miami Masters, U.S. Hard Flag of Brazil Cassio Motta Flag of the United States Rick Leach
Flag of the United States Jim Pugh
6–4, 3–6, 6–3
10. 15 April 1991 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Germany Eric Jelen Flag of Argentina Horacio de la Peña
Flag of Italy Diego Nargiso
3–6, 7–6, 6–4
11. 2 May 1994 Munich, Germany Clay Flag of the Czech Republic Petr Korda Flag of Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Flag of the Czech Republic David Rikl
7–6, 7–5
12. 29 March 1999 Miami Masters, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Jan-Michael Gambill Flag of Zimbabwe Wayne Black
Flag of Australia Sandon Stolle
6–1, 6–1

References

  1. Ian Thomsen (1997-07-02). "Boom Boom Leads German Triple Threat". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  2. "Tennis Legend Boris Becker Battles for Custody of Daughter", People Magazine (2007-11-08). Retrieved on 2008-01-24. 
  3. "Becker avoids jail for tax evasion", BBC News (2002-10-24). Retrieved on 2006-12-27. 
  4. Celebrity Fans
  5. Völkl index
  6. Advantage poker: Boris Becker joins PokerStars team
  7. "Tennis Champ Boris Becker Engaged - Couples People.com". People Magazine (2008-08-11). Retrieved on 2008-08-11.

Further reading

Video

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Stefan Edberg
Stefan Edberg
World No. 1
28 January 1991 – 17 February 1991
8 July 1991 – 8 September 1991
Succeeded by
Stefan Edberg
Stefan Edberg
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
not awarded, 1984
Jimmy Arias, 1983
ATP Most Improved Player
1985
Succeeded by
Mikael Pernfors
Preceded by
Mats Wilander
ATP Player of the Year
1989
Succeeded by
Stefan Edberg
Preceded by
Michael Gross
Michael Gross
German Sportsman of the Year
1985 – 1986
1989 – 1990
Succeeded by
Harald Schmid
Michael Stich
Preceded by
Mats Wilander
ITF World Champion
1989
Succeeded by
Ivan Lendl
Preceded by
Matt Biondi
United Press International
Athlete of the Year

1989
Succeeded by
Stefan Edberg
Persondata
NAME Becker, Boris
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Becker, Boris Franz
SHORT DESCRIPTION former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany
DATE OF BIRTH 22 November 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH Leimen, Germany
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH