Michael Stich

For the American television soap opera director, see Michael Stich (director).
Michael Stich
Country

 West Germany (1988–1990)

 Germany (from 1990)
Residence Elmshorn, Germany
Born October 18, 1968
Pinneberg, West Germany
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Turned pro 1988
Retired 1997
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money $12,592,483
Singles
Career record 385–176
Career titles 18
Highest ranking No. 2 (November 22, 1993)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open SF (1993)
French Open F (1996)
Wimbledon W (1991)
US Open F (1994)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals W (1993)
Olympic Games 2R (1992)
Doubles
Career record 165–111
Career titles 10
Highest ranking No. 9 (March 22, 1991)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Wimbledon W (1992)
Other Doubles tournaments
Olympic Games Gold Medal (1992)
Team competitions
Davis Cup W (1993)
Hopman Cup W (1993)
Last updated on: April 27, 2012.
Olympic medal record
Men's Tennis
Gold 1992 Barcelona Men's Doubles

Michael Detlef Stich (born October 18, 1968 in Pinneberg, Schleswig-Holstein) is a former professional tennis player from Germany. He won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1991, the men's doubles titles at both Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, and was a singles runner-up at the 1994 US Open and the 1996 French Open. Stich won 18 singles titles and 10 doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 2 in 1993.

Career

Stich was raised in Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein. He turned professional in 1988 and won his first top-level singles title in 1990 at Memphis, Tennessee.

Stich won Wimbledon in 1991. He defeated the defending champion and World No. 1 Stefan Edberg in the semifinals, 4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 7–6, without breaking his service once. Then in the final, he beat his compatriot and three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker in straight sets.

In 1992, Stich teamed with John McEnroe to win the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in a five-set and five-hour final that stretched into Monday (the day after the tournament normally ends) and ended with a 19–17 final set. Then at the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Stich teamed with Becker to win the men's doubles gold medal. Stich also won the 1992 Grand Slam Cup, defeating Michael Chang in the final.

A major highlight of 1993 for Stich came at the end-of-year ATP World Championships, where he was the only player in the 1990s history of the Championship tournament to claim the title undefeated, overcoming Pete Sampras in the final.[1] Playing for Germany, Stich also won both the Davis Cup and the Hopman Cup in 1993.

Stich reached his second Grand Slam singles final at the 1994 US Open, where he lost in straight sets to Andre Agassi. Stich also helped Germany win the World Team Cup in 1994.

Stich upset defending champion Thomas Muster in four sets in the fourth round of the 1996 French Open en route to appearing in his third and final Grand Slam singles final, where he was defeated by Yevgeny Kafelnikov in straight sets. He also won his final career singles title that year at Antwerp. His last doubles title came in 1997 at Halle.

Stich's all-round ability, both from the baseline and at the net, allowed him to become one of the few players to win both Singles and Doubles tournaments on all surfaces. He is one of only five players of his generation to have a positive career head-to-head record against Sampras.[2]

Stich announced his retirement from the professional tour in 1997 following Wimbledon. His last run at Wimbledon started with a win over U.S. top-10 player Jim Courier and ended with a five-set loss to Cédric Pioline in the semifinals.

Since his retirement, he has devoted most of his time to his own AIDS foundation. He also works as a tennis commentator for the BBC. Stich was married to the German actress Jessica Stockmann from 1992 to 2003. In 2005, he married Alexandra Rikowski. They live in Hamburg.

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1–2)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner1991WimbledonGrassGermany Boris Becker6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–4
Runner-up1994US OpenHardUnited States Andre Agassi1–6, 6–7(5–7), 5–7
Runner-up1996French OpenClayRussia Yevgeny Kafelnikov6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–7(4–7)

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner1992WimbledonGrassUnited States John McEnroeUnited States Jim Grabb
United States Richey Reneberg
5–7, 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 19–17

Olympic men's doubles final

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Gold 1992 Summer Olympics Clay Germany Boris Becker South Africa Wayne Ferreira
South Africa Piet Norval
7–6(7–5), 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–3

Masters Series finals

Singles: 3 (2–1)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up1992HamburgClaySweden Stefan Edberg7–5, 4–6, 1–6
Winner1993HamburgClayRussia Andrei Chesnokov6–3, 6–7(1–7), 7–6(9–7), 6–4
Winner1993StockholmHard (i)Croatia Goran Ivanišević4–6, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–3), 6–2

Doubles: 3 (1–2)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up1990HamburgClayGermany Udo RiglewskiSpain Sergi Bruguera
United States Jim Courier
6–7, 2–6
Winner1992Monte CarloClayGermany Boris BeckerCzechoslovakia Petr Korda
Czechoslovakia Karel Nováček
3–6, 6–1, 6–4
Runner-up1992HamburgClayGermany Carl-Uwe SteebSpain Sergio Casal
Spain Emilio Sánchez
7–5, 4–6, 3–6

Career finals

Singles: 31 (18–13)

Legend
Grand Slam (1–2)
Tennis Masters Cup (1–0)
Grand Slam Cup (1–1)
ATP Masters Series (2–1)
ATP Championship Series (3–3)
ATP World Series (10–6)
Titles by Surface
Hard (4–4)
Grass (4–1)
Clay (3–5)
Carpet (7–3)
Outcome No. Date Championship Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1.March 5, 1990Memphis, USHardAustralia Wally Masur6–7(5–7), 6–4, 7–6(7–1)
Runner-up 1. January 7, 1991 Adelaide, Australia Hard Sweden Nicklas Kulti 3–6, 6–1, 2–6
Runner-up 2. January 14, 1991 Sydney, Australia Hard France Guy Forget 3–6, 4–6
Runner-up 3. February 25, 1991 Memphis, US Hard (i) Czech Republic Ivan Lendl 5–7, 3–6
Winner 2.July 8, 1991Wimbledon, London, UKGrassGermany Boris Becker6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–4
Winner 3.July 22, 1991Stuttgart Outdoor, GermanyClayArgentina Alberto Mancini1–6, 7–6(11–9), 6–4, 6–2
Winner 4.August 26, 1991Schenectady, USHardSpain Emilio Sánchez6–2, 6–4
Winner 5.October 21, 1991Vienna, AustriaCarpetNetherlands Jan Siemerink6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Runner-up 4. May 11, 1992 Hamburg, Germany Clay Sweden Stefan Edberg 7–5, 4–6, 1–6
Winner 6.June 15, 1992Rosmalen, NetherlandsGrassUnited States Jonathan Stark6–4, 7–5
Winner 7.December 14, 1992Grand Slam Cup, Munich, GermanyCarpetUnited States Michael Chang6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Winner 8.February 22, 1993Stuttgart, GermanyCarpetNetherlands Richard Krajicek4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–4), 3–6, 7–5
Runner-up 5. May 3, 1993 Munich, Germany Clay United States Ivan Lendl 6–7(2–7), 3–6
Winner 9.May 10, 1993Hamburg, GermanyClayRussia Andrei Chesnokov6–3, 6–7(1–7), 7–6(9–7), 6–4
Winner 10.June 14, 1993London (Queen's Club), UKGrassSouth Africa Wayne Ferreira6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 6. July 26, 1993 Stuttgart, Germany Clay Sweden Magnus Gustafsson 3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 4–6
Winner 11.August 12, 1993Basel, SwitzerlandHardSweden Stefan Edberg6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–2
Winner 12.November 1, 1993Stockholm, SwedenCarpetCroatia Goran Ivanišević4–6, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–3), 6–2
Winner 13.November 22, 1993Tennis Masters Cup, Frankfurt, GermanyCarpetUnited States Pete Sampras7–6(7–3), 2–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–2
Runner-up 7. December 13, 1993 Grand Slam Cup, Munich, Germany Carpet Czech Republic Petr Korda 6–2, 4–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 9–11
Winner 14.February 28, 1994Rotterdam, NetherlandsCarpetSouth Africa Wayne Ferreira4–6, 6–3, 6–0
Winner 15.May 2, 1994Munich, GermanyClayCzech Republic Petr Korda6–2, 2–6, 6–3
Winner 16.June 20, 1994Halle, GermanyGrassSweden Magnus Larsson6–4, 4–6, 6–3
Runner-up 8. September 12, 1994 US Open, New York City Hard United States Andre Agassi 1–6, 6–7(5–7), 5–7
Runner-up 9. October 24, 1994 Vienna, Austria Carpet United States Andre Agassi 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 2–6, 3–6
Runner-up 10. February 27, 1995 Stuttgart, Germany Carpet Netherlands Richard Krajicek 6–7(4–7), 3–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6
Runner-up 11. May 8, 1995 Munich, Germany Clay South Africa Wayne Ferreira 5–7, 6–7(6–8)
Runner-up 12. June 26, 1995 Halle, Germany Grass Switzerland Marc Rosset 6–3, 6–7(11–13), 6–7(8–10)
Winner 17.August 7, 1995Los Angeles, USHardSweden Thomas Enqvist6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–4), 6–2
Winner 18.February 26, 1996Antwerp, BelgiumCarpetCroatia Goran Ivanišević6–3, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Runner-up 13. June 10, 1996 French Open, Paris, France Clay Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–7(4–7)

Doubles: 16 (10–6)

Legend
Grand Slam (1–0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0–0)
Olympic Gold Medal (1–0)
ATP Masters Series (1–2)
ATP Championship Series (1–1)
ATP World Series (6–3)
Titles by Surface
Hard (3–2)
Grass (3–1)
Clay (3–2)
Carpet (1–1)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1. October 9, 1989 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Germany Udo Riglewski Italy Omar Camporese
Switzerland Claudio Mezzadri
6–3, 4–6, 6–0
Runner-up 1. February 26, 1990 Memphis, US Hard (i) Germany Udo Riglewski Australia Darren Cahill
Australia Mark Kratzmann
5–7, 2–6
Runner-up 2. May 7, 1990 Hamburg, Germany Clay Germany Udo Riglewski Spain Sergi Bruguera
United States Jim Courier
6–7, 2–6
Winner 2. May 17, 1990 Munich, Germany Clay Germany Udo Riglewski Czech Republic Petr Korda
Czech Republic Tomáš Šmíd
6–1, 6–4
Winner 3. June 18, 1990 Rosmalen, Netherlands Grass Switzerland Jakob Hlasek United States Jim Grabb
United States John McEnroe
7–6, 6–3
Runner-up 3. August 20, 1990 Long Island, US Hard Germany Udo Riglewski France Guy Forget
Switzerland Jakob Hlasek
6–2, 3–6, 4–6
Winner 4. October 22, 1990 Vienna, Austria Carpet Germany Udo Riglewski Mexico Jorge Lozano
United States Todd Witsken
6–4, 6–4
Winner 5. January 9, 1991 Memphis, US Hard (i) Germany Udo Riglewski Australia John Fitzgerald
Australia Laurie Warder
7–5, 6–3
Runner-up 4. February 11, 1991 Philadelphia, US Carpet Germany Udo Riglewski United States Rick Leach
United States Jim Pugh
4–6, 4–6
Winner 6. April 27, 1992 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Germany Boris Becker Czech Republic Petr Korda
Czech Republic Karel Nováček
6–4, 6–4
Runner-up 5. May 4, 1992 Hamburg, Germany Clay Germany Carl-Uwe Steeb Spain Sergio Casal
Spain Emilio Sánchez
7–5, 4–6, 3–6
Runner-up 6. June 8, 1992 Rosmalen, Netherlands Grass United States John McEnroe United States Jim Grabb
United States Richey Reneberg
4–6, 7–6, 4–6
Winner 7. July 6, 1992 Wimbledon, London Grass United States John McEnroe United States Jim Grabb
United States Richey Reneberg
5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 19–17
Winner 8. August 3, 1992 Summer Olympics, Barcelona Clay Germany Boris Becker South Africa Wayne Ferreira
South Africa Piet Norval
7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
Winner 9. August 9, 1993 Los Angeles, US Hard South Africa Wayne Ferreira Canada Grant Connell
United States Scott Davis
7–6, 7–6
Winner 10. June 16, 1997 Halle, Germany Grass Germany Karsten Braasch South Africa David Adams
South Africa Marius Barnard
7–6, 6–3

Singles performance timeline

Tournament19871988198919901991199219931994199519961997SR W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open A A A 3R 3R QF SF 1R 3R A 2R 0 / 7 16–7
French Open A A 2R 2R SF 3R 4R 2R 4R F A 0 / 8 22–8
Wimbledon A A 1R 3R W QF QF 1R 1R 4R SF 1 / 9 25–8
US Open A A 1R 2R QF 2R 1R F 4R 2R A 0 / 8 15–8
Win–Loss 0–0 0–0 1–3 6–4 17–3 11–4 12–4 7–4 8–4 10–3 6–2 1 / 32 78–31
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells NME A SF SF 2R A 3R A A 0 / 4 8–4
Miami NME 2R 4R A 4R A 2R A A 0 / 4 5–4
Monte Carlo NME 1R A QF 2R 3R 2R A 2R 0 / 6 5–6
Rome NME A 1R 1R A QF A 2R A 0 / 4 4–3
Hamburg NME 1R SF F W SF 3R A 2R 1 / 7 18–6
Canada NME 2R A A A A QF A A 0 / 2 3–2
Cincinnati NME A A A QF SF SF A A 0 / 3 8–3
Stuttgart (Stockholm) NME A 2R 3R W QF A 2R A 1 / 5 9–4
Paris NME QF A 3R QF 2R A 1R A 0 / 5 6–5
Win–Loss N/A 5–5 10–5 11–6 16–5 13–5 7–6 2–3 2–2 2 / 40 66–37
Ranking 564 269 100 42 4 15 2 9 12 16 64

References

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Germany Boris Becker
German Sportsman of the Year
1991
Succeeded by
Germany Dieter Baumann