Compared to today's standards, he was classy and composed. More importantly I believe he's the one who really opened the modern tennis era. His swings were wide and not retained like Lendl's or Mc Enroe's for instance. He was tall and heavy but moved with grace when playing. Tons of charisma. Great player. 5:45
It is false his biggest rival is 1. Stephan Edberg 2. Pete Sampras 3. Andre Agassi 4. Mats Wilander 5. Ivan lendl John McEnroe is done with major titles
@@paulc7804 yes, I guess most of the 80s players started with wooden racquets as kids. Agassi had a García wooden racquet and as a pro started with the Prince Graphite 110. I think the last pro to win a tournament with a wooden racquet was Miloslav Mecir in 89
@@migelowsky The statement in the video about Becker using a wooden racket also caught my attention when I first heard it. It was stated as if he was using a wooden racket throughout his pro career which simply was not the case. The rackets I remember him using as a pro were the ones you mentioned.
My favourite player to watch, even knowing he wasn't the best ever. Always had the sensation he didn't achieved everything that was possible for his level, even if winning 6 GS at the end of your carrer is nothing to be ashamed of...
Becker is my primary idol in tennis…he probably changed tennis in his Wimbledon 85 win…he was so flash and his nickname Boom Boom because of his game…Unfortunately, his movement and inconsistency were his Achilles heel, and of course, like he said in his book, his problem with taxes in his country that have an immense impact on him…I think he could win more against Sampras from the back of the court like he showed in Stuttgart, but he used to rush to the net…and for all the Best male player of all time indoors…Not even Sampras or Federer could beat him indoors, even if Sampras did it in ATP finals
In terms of overall strokes I think Becker’s game is top 5 in historyf… he had an amazing serve, returned well, he had a really good volley and powerful ground strokes… his game (at his prime) could still compete today.
Becker was my all time favourite tennis player and still is. He was so exciting to watch, the first of the big servers. They also say he was the best liked player on the tour by his fellow tennis players.
Sampras is right about Indoor. There he came really close showing his complete potential. He was germans "Wunderkind" and therefore more than a tennis player for the nation. The pressure was huge.
A flawed diamond. I absolutely LOVED watching Boris play. His serve and volley skills are a real must watch today, to understand how much the game has actually changed (and moved on).
Agassi's success against Becker is chronicled in his book Open. Apparently Becker has a tell when he serves involving his tongue, which would point as to where he was planning on serving.
Me and Boris are the same age so I had a special affinity towards him especially after he won Wimbledon at 17. I most tried to mirror my style of play based on a mix of Boris and Ivan Lendl. Huge fan!
Boris and Steffi made Tennis big in Germany... Remember those days when everybody was watching them on TV playing the big matches... Boris vs Ledl, Agassi, Sampras, Edberg, you name it... Steffi vs Sabatini, Sanchez, Seles,.... Miss those days a lot! And I never played tennis but watched every game.
better pre-barbara feltus was a rising star and sadly when his relationship with her developed we saw his incredible game only in glimpses. Still one of the greatest to play the game there was a time he was unstoppable indoors
Up until a certain point early in Federer's career, his strokes and footwork were literally mirrored with Beckers... Infact, the only difference in Rogers later years is he shortened his backswings to take the ball on the rise..
I am sure Becker never played with a wood racquet in his career. He first played with the Puma in the 80s and then in the 1990s Estusa, which was based on the Puma frame. The Estusa was a great raquet, I have one 🙂
As an Austrian, I couldn't really like him, and was usually rooting for his opponents, whether it was Agassi or Muster. But i really respected his game and attitude on court, his aura and intimidating, stoic presence. I also think he was a great sportsman.
I had a British junior ranking growing up and Boris was my hero. As for his raquet, I played with his puma raquet, I didn't like it. The head was small and weird shaped, but it worked for him. What was also weird was you could adjust the length of it, which I thought was madness and made the raquet weak
In the period around the time when Becker won Wimbledon for the 1st time, I and many other fans and amateurs idolized him, for he beat Lendl, Edberg, Sampras, and Agassi, all at a time former #1s. But we idolized him especially for having made me and many other tennis fans the big favor/gift of beating the great Lendl, a robotic/machine-like player if ever was one, even though one of the greats, no doubt, for Lendl turned the tide against McEnroe with a huge comeback from the dead 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 at the Roland Garros 1984, the best year of McEnroe ever. Boris beat Lendl in two GS finals for the ages (Wimbledon 1986 and US Open 1989), and with that Lendl's chance for the GOAT was statistically gone up in the smoke of Faulkner's small piece, for Pete Sampras was to appear soon like a comet, something no one would have known, sweeping away Lendl from such elated positions,with no need for mechanical sweeper (God, be praised, would have been said with thanks, in reference to the god of tennis -- the messenger of whose I am well known to be by anyone of consequence in tennis -- as thanks for saving us from the image of Lendl trying to be, God forbid about that, natural when crowding the net. Becker thus opened the path for a new generation of serve-and-volley players, such as Edberg, Pat Cash, Sampras, and Stich, which, for me, were to put on the greatest show on earth of power, explosiveness and athleticism in the history of tennis. One can confidently say they were not to be overtaken in terms of power and athleticism and spectacle not even by the trio of greats that followed them. Of course, I am talking of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic troika, who beat everyone in terms of regularity, even the great Pete Sampras, who had been considered the greatest at a time by many afficionados, but not by me, as I still deem in all respect for everyone Rod Laver to be the owner of that honor for his nonpareil performance of 150 years of tennis, which also hasn't been met in the last 54 years of open-era tennis, not even by the great above-mentioned troika, who has surpassed everyone else in terms of numerical achievements. Now, Nadal and Djokovic are guilty, as I see it, by following Borg and Agassi in using the ugly, workmanlike game brought about by the two-handed backhand, which is reducing most of games to duels of regularity howitzers from the baseline. Fortunately for the long term benefit of the tennis spectacle Agassi was really cancelled in GSs by the power, athleticism, and uniqueness of Sampras that no academies can teach and no drugs can instill. For Agassi recognized later having been on drugs. True, Borg was much more athletic than many of his epigones/successors. So, I for one, can still remember witnessing with huge pleasure one Brad Gilbert, another big promoter of ugliness in tennis, even a self-awowed one, being the coach of Agassi, and literally squirming while watching his protege being dismantled by Sampras in the last 3 sets of 2001 US Open QF. And Brad being promptly fired after that - even Agassi had recognized his coach had hit his ceiling of incompetence. And even Federer, even if on the other side his game was more varied, all-court and spectacular and with great majority more crown-pleasing-and-applauded as a result of using the one-handed backhand, had to considerably reduce the incursions at net, in order to avoid being passed. The destruction of the fast Wimbledon grass had made impossible great S-V finals as between Edberg and Becker. Because the larger-surface and the more rigid racquets and the more rigid strings, cutting into balls, lead to easier passing. This does not mean that Federer has not seriously contributed to the reduction of the Serve and Volley and the reduction of the athletic all-court game by intentionally changing his strategy, for in a set he was going 2 to 3 times less at the net then say Edberg, even though he had been coached by the Australian Peter Carter until age 9, in the individualized attacking style practiced by the Ozzer a great showman in an heroic era, even more after having contributed to unmasking whatever lack of flexibility Lendl had in his game, especially at Wimbledon, with all his coaching by one great Australian, Tony Roche. Having won Wimbledon at age 17, I consider Becker a greater_demonstrated talent at this age_ than Nadal and Djokovic. Well, greater than anyone, again _at this age_. Why not, indeed. Time was naturally to have a major influence, as such a large body, with such special proportions of muscle and bone, of such special intrinsic properties of them, was to suffer changes with direct or indirect effect on performance. And performance could not be expected to maintain excessively high levels for durations comparable with Wayne Ferreira's who, should someone have forgotten, was the first to participate without interruptions in 56 GSs, and not Federer. Becker was no doubt a phenomenon in his youth, with a larger than life presence. German by genetics and family history, his development was hugely influenced by Ion Tiriac and Guenther Bosch [RIP two years ago], both Romanian citizens, both former premier Romanian tennis players in the 60s, Tiriac having been the Romanian Champion amateur player for several years. Bosch, being ethnic German, decided to emigrate in the West Germany of the time. Tiriac, from a tennis professional player, became a great manager. Among others, he managed Ilie Nastase, his former partner on the Romanian Davis Cup team, and #1 in the 1973 computer rankings, the first player to have done so. He also managed Guillermo Villas, another great player, from Argentina, and #2 in the 1974 computer rankings. Also, he founded, managed and owned great tennis events in Germany and lately in Spain. After emigrating to West Germany (Ethnic Germans were effectively bought from the Communist Romanian state at the time), Guenther Bosch became the coach of the West German junior tennis team and Boris entered that team after a while,. Having soon discovered Boris's huge talent, Bosch contacted Tiriac and the old Romanian colleagues established an accelerated development program for Boris which was supposed to insert him in the professional ranks by the age 14. "Zis si facut" [Romanian saying, meaning approximately "implemented as discussed']. Great doers, all three of them.
But, I've never seen or even heard of, in the whole history of tennis, any player DIVE TO RETURN A SERVE. No one is serious enough about returning serves. That's why there are so many aces nowadays. You have to be willing to 'get down' to match the ridiculously big serves thrown at you from these modern powerful racquets, no? It'll also add ultra excitement to the game. More will tune in to watch The New Box Office Service Return Diver. Meaning more $$$. $'all good. $'all good.
Lendl never beat Becker in grand slam finals losing to him in 86 Wimbledon, 89 USO and 91 AO, also lost in 88 and 89 Wimbledon semi. but Lendl did beat Becker in their last grand slam match at 1992 USO in five sets, Lendl then lost the next round to Edberg in QF. You actually contradict yourself when you said Lendl never beat Becker in grand slam then say Becker actually leads Lendl 5:1.
„a wooden racket? Never ever since he became a pro. From his first matches on the tour he used a Puma midsize racket with a nylon string. At that time I do reneber only one of the „great guys“ who played a wooden racket for still a short period of time, before he also switched to a modern midsize racket. And that was Ivan Lendl. Boris? NO!
It was shocking to see him cover his eyes against Sampras in that Wimbledon match. Of course Becker did have significant wins against Sampras who was just unbelievably great. Those indoor battles in 96 were utterly glorious.
49 career titles for Becker to 41 for Edberg and both won 6 majors, he also led the overall head to head 25-10, Becker Won more prize money. Edberg has some point in his favor but so does Boris.
Becker had much more potential but had to play constantly under huge pressure. Edberg won Wimbledon twice as an outsider only because Becker was under sleeping pills. Becker at his best was far better. THe trouble is he was less constant than Edberg so Edberg took advantage of it. Becker-Edberg: 25-10!
@@marilou20091 Excuses excuses..if if if..not one single clay court tournament won in a 15+ year career... Edberg was a better all round player and reached every slam final. Also a better person, not a deported felon, unlike some.
Becker was not one of the alltime great. Completely overestimated in Germany, his name in tennis is based mainly on the two Wimbledon victories in 1985 and 86. He came from wooden to graphite or other rackets during a transitional period, which, along with Tatuum O-Neil, ended the dominance of a McEnroe. In his most successful period he played against the aging Lendl and the Swedes Edberg and Wilander. But he couldn't prevail against these players either. With Sampras, one of the greats came along again.
@@sinaheuer1917 Sure, but still 49 titles to 41 for edberg and 6 slams each. Incidentally edberg never won on medium slow rebound ace hardcourts in the Australian open. Becker won two.
Hope you remember the Davis Cup Final match against Edberg and Wilander in 89.... Wimbledon Final too.... Out of those 3 matches he knocked out 2 bagels...
Back in Becker's day grass and indoor courts were much faster. He has one of the finest indoor records of all time. Second only to Pete sampras in the 90s. A fantastic grass court record, 3 Wimbledon titles, 4 finals, 2 semis. I remember the 89 Davis Cup final. He beat edberg 6-2,6-2,6-4 and Wilander, who just the previous year had been world no 1 6-2,6-0,6-2. That is still some of the best fast court, power tennis I've ever seen
Dieses Match übertrifft sogar alle Sampras-Agassi Thriller,einfach überirdisch!Kein Match der heutigen Zeit kommt an die spielerische Klasse dieses Thrillers heran!❤
Becker was a criminally underrated baseliner. As Andre himself said, he could hurt you if you put the ball in his wheelhouse...on both wings. I wish he met Pete more often on hardcourts especially during and after 1995. Pete's two wins at Indianapolis were really tough three set matches even though Boris was undergoing a mental slump of sorts in both years. He was a huge factor after the hard work he put in paid dividends in 1995 and after. He along with Lendl laid the blueprint for the modern power baseline game. Federer is his own man but there are shades of Boris in his game.
Up until a certain point early in Federer's career, his strokes and footwork were literally mirrored with Beckers... Infact, the only difference in Rogers later years is he shortened his backswings to take the ball on the rise...
@@ChristianColeman Excellent points. That is exactly what I thought, plus his returns of serve against Pete reminded me of Boris, though I think Federer was more consistent in that regard. However Becker was absolutely ripping 1st serve return winners at will against Sampras in the 1996 ATP Finals off both wings.
@@z1az285 the returns were simple mechanics. It was the hip rotation transferring weight and momentum to the ball to effortlessly exponentially create power and pace.
Becker is the best tennis player Germany ever had. High talent, incredible will and very emotional. Although you got the impression that he could have reached more. His private life was not that stable and it seemed that he wasn’t always focused enough on Tennis.
@@tomr6955 that's unfair i am looking by their achievements. Even a 200 ranked German had beaten both Williams sisters that doesn't mean you should ranked him higher than Serena or Venus. Steffi achievement is far superior than Becker. FYI Steffi is the GOAT female tennis player or atleast in top 3 but Becker isn't even top 10 greats in open era let alone of all time.
Dropping out of school in the 10th grade?? Absolutely the best and most colorful player amongst a host of awful unattactive, overpaid brats. But dropping out of school cost him dearly in terms of wealth. Also, hiding personal assets from an English Bankruptsy court was just incredibly stupid, a very serious crime in most jurisdictions. Love his toughness and spirt. Go booom boom!!
Am Tag, als Boris seinen Rücktritt verkündete vergoss ich ein paar Tränen (ich weiß es ist lächerlich). Aber an diesem Tag war auch ein Stück meiner Jugend vorbei.
With Boris a new era began. Tennis courts had an explosion of young tesserate. We Iearned tennis looking on tv the innovative tecnique of Becker and Agassi. And even if i'm 51 years old and play once in a year, everytime i have a match with a friend is as a never stopped to handle a raquette. Thank you Boris, thank you Andre. Max🎾
At Wimbledon 1985 He Brought Power Tennis And Much Intensity In The Sport. His Game, The Irresistible Serve, The Massive Forehand, The Absolute Will, The Becker Dive, The Becker Fist, The Becker Block, The Serve & Volley Play, The Good Baseline Shots, The Nerves Of Steel Changed The Game. He Had Everything There At 17 And He Was Basically A Finished Player.
His backhand, half volleys and touch were not there at 17 though. But by 19 he was pretty much a complete player. Of course he improved over time in all aspects of his game
@@z1az285 He Had A Good Touch And At Least A Solid Backhand With Power Then Too (1985). The Half Volleys Were Also A Part In The Style Of His Play Very Early. When He Was 19, He Had His First Deep Crisis In His Game And Not Much Success.
@@M.EngelhART Yes, but he was a much more complete player. He won Indian Wells on slow hard that he couldn't have earlier. In a sense his early success was too much. It made and also broke him. If he had developed normally he would have won a lot more with less pressure. I have no doubt.
@@M.EngelhART No, the pressure on him was abnormal. It is true the 1985 win was absolutely phenomenal, but to repeat was even more difficult. That being said, he himself admitted he couldn't develop his game the way he wanted to because of other obligations/ external pressure. Sampras won the USO at 19 but didn't win any slams for two more years and it motivated him to work and improve. Look at his record after that. Boris did the same in 1989 but the mental pressure took a big toll on him and from 1991 Wimbledon to 1995 he completely lost motivation for long periods.
Becker didnt have an attitude on court - thats not right. It was more about the US vs Russia German thing outside of tennis. He was my fav player growing up. Could have got more titles. And yes those old guys from that period - would be on par with raffa roger and joko. Do not underestimate the racquet tech - these days you can get easy points. The big four of that time where Becker was at times the top - was a time just like now with the big three. Do not underestimate sport medicine, these old guy were probably all on EPO plus a bunch of other stuff. Infact in agassis book he keeps the same trainer and he gets given special drinks. Those 80s and 90s players when the sport became super professional in all areas would beat anyone on their day their games were amazing - the net play - the shot selection. It was almost a different game to now. The tech is so much better and easier to control the ball than in the past.
The problem with Becker's impact on German tennis was that for a short time tennis, especially the new Siegfried, was hyped above all. And every Becker match, even the most unimportant backyard matches, were shown live. They even dared to replace the French Open final for a fun match between Becker and Stich. Also a nationalistic concentration on matches with German participants began. Tennis was no longer international but served for national pride. After the hero's retirement, his Goetterdaemmerung', and the disappearance of Michael Stich and Steffi Graf from the courts the TV broadcasters didn't even show ... Wimbledon. So you had to rely on Pay-TV or newpapers to get more information of Tennis Championchips. Gone were the times when you could watch the US Open with John McEnroe and Peter Fleming as doubles live on TV at midnight. A burial shroud was laid on international tennis, only to be removed when a new Siegfried rises again. But Germany got a replacement: Racing bully Michael Schumacher. And so the nation was fine.
Compared to today's standards, he was classy and composed. More importantly I believe he's the one who really opened the modern tennis era. His swings were wide and not retained like Lendl's or Mc Enroe's for instance. He was tall and heavy but moved with grace when playing. Tons of charisma. Great player. 5:45
Becker's games were mostly thrillers. Full of excitement. It was thanks to him that I really became aware of tennis.
Never seen a boring game with Becker.
Becker's biggest rival was Boris Becker.
Exactly....he was simply the best when he was in phisical and mental condition, I think only Pete could face him in his best day
Not rival, but antagonist. ;-)
And still is.
It is false his biggest rival is
1. Stephan Edberg
2. Pete Sampras
3. Andre Agassi
4. Mats Wilander
5. Ivan lendl
John McEnroe is done with major titles
@@kikaa1884Yes and no. The only one in that group is Pete with more talent. Others when Boris had a clear mind were no match for him
Boris didn't play with a wooden racquet. He won Wimbledon in 85 with the Puma Winner and then Puma Super. Later he used Estusa
It was interesting to see footage of a very young Becker using an Adidas frame in this video.
@@paulc7804 yes, I guess most of the 80s players started with wooden racquets as kids. Agassi had a García wooden racquet and as a pro started with the Prince Graphite 110.
I think the last pro to win a tournament with a wooden racquet was Miloslav Mecir in 89
@@migelowsky The statement in the video about Becker using a wooden racket also caught my attention when I first heard it. It was stated as if he was using a wooden racket throughout his pro career which simply was not the case. The rackets I remember him using as a pro were the ones you mentioned.
Yes, but the rackets today are much better to play, than his Puma. (A played years with this racket).
And the Estusa racket he used was basically a painted Becker Super.
Becker is still one of my favorite all time tennis player, Great video
I think the Boom-Boom serve was one of the most innovative and influential techniques in the history of tennis.
Ein absolut grandioser 🎾Spieler mit carissmatischen Vorzügen. Alles gute für Herr Becker. LG aus tunesien
Love the Becker Sampras rivalry. So exciting to watch
my favourite tennis rivalry
Edberg and Lendl too
I'd never really watched tennis until Becker arrived on the scene. He was like a Formula 1 on the court. He made tennis exciting. A great player.
My favourite player to watch, even knowing he wasn't the best ever. Always had the sensation he didn't achieved everything that was possible for his level, even if winning 6 GS at the end of your carrer is nothing to be ashamed of...
Becker is my primary idol in tennis…he probably changed tennis in his Wimbledon 85 win…he was so flash and his nickname Boom Boom because of his game…Unfortunately, his movement and inconsistency were his Achilles heel, and of course, like he said in his book, his problem with taxes in his country that have an immense impact on him…I think he could win more against Sampras from the back of the court like he showed in Stuttgart, but he used to rush to the net…and for all the Best male player of all time indoors…Not even Sampras or Federer could beat him indoors, even if Sampras did it in ATP finals
Mine too
Boom boom was so exciting to watch. That first Wimbeldon final against Lendle is a match that ill never forget. Etched in my brain .
First final was against Kevin Curren, 1986
@@alexjohan204 1985 against Curren, 1986 against Lendl
Considering his immerse talent, Becker actually severely underachieved.
He was constantly under pressure, taking sleeping spills, it had consequences on his career.
He overachieved when it came to picking up beautiful women.
In terms of overall strokes I think Becker’s game is top 5 in historyf… he had an amazing serve, returned well, he had a really good volley and powerful ground strokes… his game (at his prime) could still compete today.
Becker could have achieved more than he actually did, which already was noteworthy, mind. Most importantly, he was exciting to watch, a crowd pleaser
Für mich der Beste. Niemand hat so elegant gespielt wie er. Niemand hatte sein Charisma
Becker was my all time favourite tennis player and still is. He was so exciting to watch, the first of the big servers. They also say he was the best liked player on the tour by his fellow tennis players.
You will rise again Idol!!!💪💪💪👌👌👌👍👍👍
Correction, Becker never used a wooden racket as a professional.
Brought tennis kicking &screaming in the 80s & 90s
Sampras is right about Indoor. There he came really close showing his complete potential. He was germans "Wunderkind" and therefore more than a tennis player for the nation. The pressure was huge.
A flawed diamond. I absolutely LOVED watching Boris play. His serve and volley skills are a real must watch today, to understand how much the game has actually changed (and moved on).
Agassi's success against Becker is chronicled in his book Open. Apparently Becker has a tell when he serves involving his tongue, which would point as to where he was planning on serving.
Tragic for Becker. Fascinating story. Credit to Agassi for figuring that out.
I think that was more of a joke, Boris did not always stick his tongue out and it would have also been hard to spot from the other side of the court.
Me and Boris are the same age so I had a special affinity towards him especially after he won Wimbledon at 17. I most tried to mirror my style of play based on a mix of Boris and Ivan Lendl. Huge fan!
Very good and entertaining, a true champion
Boris and Steffi made Tennis big in Germany... Remember those days when everybody was watching them on TV playing the big matches... Boris vs Ledl, Agassi, Sampras, Edberg, you name it... Steffi vs Sabatini, Sanchez, Seles,.... Miss those days a lot! And I never played tennis but watched every game.
better pre-barbara feltus was a rising star and sadly when his relationship with her developed we saw his incredible game only in glimpses. Still one of the greatest to play the game there was a time he was unstoppable indoors
Thanks Boris for Passion of Tennis
In his heyday he was better than three Nadals and two Federers. He played tennis how it is meant to be played. Full stop.
I think I read somewhere that his game is the one Federer modelled his game on…nuff said really 😳
Up until a certain point early in Federer's career, his strokes and footwork were literally mirrored with Beckers... Infact, the only difference in Rogers later years is he shortened his backswings to take the ball on the rise..
To win 6 Grand Slams & rank world number one. I would say he was very good. Should have won more too.
I am sure Becker never played with a wood racquet in his career. He first played with the Puma in the 80s and then in the 1990s Estusa, which was based on the Puma frame. The Estusa was a great raquet, I have one 🙂
I never played the racket but always thought it looked great
Always give his best when played . He rise when a lot of top players still there
Lendl won his last match against on Major Grand Slam level against Becker in New York. It was a five set thriller.
One of the greatest of all time
One of my top tennis idols. Boom! Boom!
My forever Idol
As an Austrian, I couldn't really like him, and was usually rooting for his opponents, whether it was Agassi or Muster. But i really respected his game and attitude on court, his aura and intimidating, stoic presence. I also think he was a great sportsman.
He was one of the greatest names in tennis, no doubt
Lets remember his tennis.
Becker faced Edberg in 3 Wimbledon finals, losing two of those. Not sure they met in another major final. :-) Nice tribute to a great player.
Bori beckker is ultimate hero of tennis
Was a big fan of Boris Becker.
Legend
Bedankt
Becker = Tennis God, Legend
7:18 Casual mention of Agassi being doped.
I had a British junior ranking growing up and Boris was my hero. As for his raquet, I played with his puma raquet, I didn't like it. The head was small and weird shaped, but it worked for him. What was also weird was you could adjust the length of it, which I thought was madness and made the raquet weak
Really? How did that adjusting work?
Boris used a wooden racket as a child but not as a wimbledon champion.
Was not a wooden racket.
Andre Agassi improved his record against Becker after he figured out how to predict Boris Becker's service directions by reading his physical tells.
His game back then would , along with that of Sampras s and a few others from that era - kick ass against any of todays more one dementional players
In the period around the time when Becker won Wimbledon for the 1st time, I and many other fans and amateurs idolized him, for he beat Lendl, Edberg, Sampras, and Agassi, all at a time former #1s. But we idolized him especially for having made me and many other tennis fans the big favor/gift of beating the great Lendl, a robotic/machine-like player if ever was one, even though one of the greats, no doubt, for Lendl turned the tide against McEnroe with a huge comeback from the dead 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 at the Roland Garros 1984, the best year of McEnroe ever.
Boris beat Lendl in two GS finals for the ages (Wimbledon 1986 and US Open 1989), and with that Lendl's chance for the GOAT was statistically gone up in the smoke of Faulkner's small piece, for Pete Sampras was to appear soon like a comet, something no one would have known, sweeping away Lendl from such elated positions,with no need for mechanical sweeper (God, be praised, would have been said with thanks, in reference to the god of tennis -- the messenger of whose I am well known to be by anyone of consequence in tennis -- as thanks for saving us from the image of Lendl trying to be, God forbid about that, natural when crowding the net.
Becker thus opened the path for a new generation of serve-and-volley players, such as Edberg, Pat Cash, Sampras, and Stich, which, for me, were to put on the greatest show on earth of power, explosiveness and athleticism in the history of tennis. One can confidently say they were not to be overtaken in terms of power and athleticism and spectacle not even by the trio of greats that followed them.
Of course, I am talking of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic troika, who beat everyone in terms of regularity, even the great Pete Sampras, who had been considered the greatest at a time by many afficionados, but not by me, as I still deem in all respect for everyone Rod Laver to be the owner of that honor for his nonpareil performance of 150 years of tennis, which also hasn't been met in the last 54 years of open-era tennis, not even by the great above-mentioned troika, who has surpassed everyone else in terms of numerical achievements.
Now, Nadal and Djokovic are guilty, as I see it, by following Borg and Agassi in using the ugly, workmanlike game brought about by the two-handed backhand, which is reducing most of games to duels of regularity howitzers from the baseline. Fortunately for the long term benefit of the tennis spectacle Agassi was really cancelled in GSs by the power, athleticism, and uniqueness of Sampras that no academies can teach and no drugs can instill. For Agassi recognized later having been on drugs. True, Borg was much more athletic than many of his epigones/successors.
So, I for one, can still remember witnessing with huge pleasure one Brad Gilbert, another big promoter of ugliness in tennis, even a self-awowed one, being the coach of Agassi, and literally squirming while watching his protege being dismantled by Sampras in the last 3 sets of 2001 US Open QF. And Brad being promptly fired after that - even Agassi had recognized his coach had hit his ceiling of incompetence.
And even Federer, even if on the other side his game was more varied, all-court and spectacular and with great majority more crown-pleasing-and-applauded as a result of using the one-handed backhand, had to considerably reduce the incursions at net, in order to avoid being passed. The destruction of the fast Wimbledon grass had made impossible great S-V finals as between Edberg and Becker. Because the larger-surface and the more rigid racquets and the more rigid strings, cutting into balls, lead to easier passing.
This does not mean that Federer has not seriously contributed to the reduction of the Serve and Volley and the reduction of the athletic all-court game by intentionally changing his strategy, for in a set he was going 2 to 3 times less at the net then say Edberg, even though he had been coached by the Australian Peter Carter until age 9, in the individualized attacking style practiced by the Ozzer a great showman in an heroic era, even more after having contributed to unmasking whatever lack of flexibility Lendl had in his game, especially at Wimbledon, with all his coaching by one great Australian, Tony Roche.
Having won Wimbledon at age 17, I consider Becker a greater_demonstrated talent at this age_ than Nadal and Djokovic. Well, greater than anyone, again _at this age_. Why not, indeed.
Time was naturally to have a major influence, as such a large body, with such special proportions of muscle and bone, of such special intrinsic properties of them, was to suffer changes with direct or indirect effect on performance. And performance could not be expected to maintain excessively high levels for durations comparable with Wayne Ferreira's who, should someone have forgotten, was the first to participate without interruptions in 56 GSs, and not Federer.
Becker was no doubt a phenomenon in his youth, with a larger than life presence. German by genetics and family history, his development was hugely influenced by Ion Tiriac and Guenther Bosch [RIP two years ago], both Romanian citizens, both former premier Romanian tennis players in the 60s, Tiriac having been the Romanian Champion amateur player for several years.
Bosch, being ethnic German, decided to emigrate in the West Germany of the time.
Tiriac, from a tennis professional player, became a great manager. Among others, he managed Ilie Nastase, his former partner on the Romanian Davis Cup team, and #1 in the 1973 computer rankings, the first player to have done so. He also managed Guillermo Villas, another great player, from Argentina, and #2 in the 1974 computer rankings. Also, he founded, managed and owned great tennis events in Germany and lately in Spain.
After emigrating to West Germany (Ethnic Germans were effectively bought from the Communist Romanian state at the time), Guenther Bosch became the coach of the West German junior tennis team and Boris entered that team after a while,. Having soon discovered Boris's huge talent, Bosch contacted Tiriac and the old Romanian colleagues established an accelerated development program for Boris which was supposed to insert him in the professional ranks by the age 14.
"Zis si facut" [Romanian saying, meaning approximately "implemented as discussed']. Great doers, all three of them.
to me he is still the best
He had the nastiest wide slice serve from the deuce court of all time
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when did becker serve at 140mph , the maximun i have seen was 135mph and it was a fault
But, I've never seen or even heard of, in the whole history of tennis, any player DIVE TO RETURN A SERVE. No one is serious enough about returning serves. That's why there are so many aces nowadays. You have to be willing to 'get down' to match the ridiculously big serves thrown at you from these modern powerful racquets, no? It'll also add ultra excitement to the game. More will tune in to watch The New Box Office Service Return Diver. Meaning more $$$. $'all good. $'all good.
Flawed technique? That's a ridiculous claim.
He had the hottest legs in tennis.🦵🏻🔥
For sure!
126 to 127 mph were the limits on his serve, no where near 140 mph
Wonder what would happen if Becker were to play with today's rackets..
Spettacolo gli anni 80! Che noia il tennis moderno...
Boris' racquets were NOT made of wood.
Boris Becker bekant Tanis spiler in Germany good mansch❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
🎾
Lendl never beat Becker in grand slam finals losing to him in 86 Wimbledon, 89 USO and 91 AO, also lost in 88 and 89 Wimbledon semi. but Lendl did beat Becker in their last grand slam match at 1992 USO in five sets, Lendl then lost the next round to Edberg in QF. You actually contradict yourself when you said Lendl never beat Becker in grand slam then say Becker actually leads Lendl 5:1.
„a wooden racket? Never ever since he became a pro. From his first matches on the tour he used a Puma midsize racket with a nylon string. At that time I do reneber only one of the „great guys“ who played a wooden racket for still a short period of time, before he also switched to a modern midsize racket. And that was Ivan Lendl. Boris? NO!
Becker played with graphite, not wood.
Becker on the pitch = my hero/outside, nah
Becker was hot AF
A lot of beautiful women seemed to think so.
Yeah he had this aura of confidence and arrogance that women fall for. But he was actually a rather soft spoken guy.
Бывает же такое! Как русская дочь похожа на отца. Уж не скажешь, что не причём, хотя он и говорил это. Лгунишка.
I wonder how he explained to his daughter how she was conceived???
Ip urile se dau in plic!
Great both not as good as Sampras
It was shocking to see him cover his eyes against Sampras in that Wimbledon match. Of course Becker did have significant wins against Sampras who was just unbelievably great. Those indoor battles in 96 were utterly glorious.
Yeah, yeah, yeah... You can put all the spin you want, but there's male singles tennis before the Big Three and before it. Boris who?
Never won a clay court tournament, never finished a year at number one. Edberg was better!
49 career titles for Becker to 41 for Edberg and both won 6 majors, he also led the overall head to head 25-10, Becker Won more prize money. Edberg has some point in his favor but so does Boris.
Becker had much more potential but had to play constantly under huge pressure. Edberg won Wimbledon twice as an outsider only because Becker was under sleeping pills. Becker at his best was far better. THe trouble is he was less constant than Edberg so Edberg took advantage of it. Becker-Edberg: 25-10!
@@bradfromthevalley As a complete player Edberg was better. Also what happened to Becker's prize money? 😂😂😂
@@marilou20091 Excuses excuses..if if if..not one single clay court tournament won in a 15+ year career... Edberg was a better all round player and reached every slam final. Also a better person, not a deported felon, unlike some.
@@anchababymalkin3222 what is Edberg's excuse for losing 25 times against Becker?
Becker was not one of the alltime great. Completely overestimated in Germany, his name in tennis is based mainly on the two Wimbledon victories in 1985 and 86. He came from wooden to graphite or other rackets during a transitional period, which, along with Tatuum O-Neil, ended the dominance of a McEnroe. In his most successful period he played against the aging Lendl and the Swedes Edberg and Wilander. But he couldn't prevail against these players either. With Sampras, one of the greats came along again.
🙈🙈🙈
Of course not, 25-10 vs edberg for starters
@@z1az285 5:2 Edberg in the importent Matches Grand Slam/Masters Finals.
@@sinaheuer1917 Sure, but still 49 titles to 41 for edberg and 6 slams each. Incidentally edberg never won on medium slow rebound ace hardcourts in the Australian open. Becker won two.
Hope you remember the Davis Cup Final match against Edberg and Wilander in 89.... Wimbledon Final too.... Out of those 3 matches he knocked out 2 bagels...
Becker you crook.
Back in Becker's day grass and indoor courts were much faster. He has one of the finest indoor records of all time. Second only to Pete sampras in the 90s. A fantastic grass court record, 3 Wimbledon titles, 4 finals, 2 semis. I remember the 89 Davis Cup final. He beat edberg 6-2,6-2,6-4 and Wilander, who just the previous year had been world no 1 6-2,6-0,6-2. That is still some of the best fast court, power tennis I've ever seen
People enjoying serve & volley should give his match in the finals of the 96 Tour World Championship against Sampras a watch. As good as it gets!
One of the greatest matches of all-time.
Dieses Match übertrifft sogar alle Sampras-Agassi Thriller,einfach überirdisch!Kein Match der heutigen Zeit kommt an die spielerische Klasse dieses Thrillers heran!❤
Becker was a criminally underrated baseliner. As Andre himself said, he could hurt you if you put the ball in his wheelhouse...on both wings. I wish he met Pete more often on hardcourts especially during and after 1995. Pete's two wins at Indianapolis were really tough three set matches even though Boris was undergoing a mental slump of sorts in both years. He was a huge factor after the hard work he put in paid dividends in 1995 and after. He along with Lendl laid the blueprint for the modern power baseline game. Federer is his own man but there are shades of Boris in his game.
He's criminally rated now
@@vforvendetta275 Ok, so?
Up until a certain point early in Federer's career, his strokes and footwork were literally mirrored with Beckers... Infact, the only difference in Rogers later years is he shortened his backswings to take the ball on the rise...
@@ChristianColeman Excellent points. That is exactly what I thought, plus his returns of serve against Pete reminded me of Boris, though I think Federer was more consistent in that regard. However Becker was absolutely ripping 1st serve return winners at will against Sampras in the 1996 ATP Finals off both wings.
@@z1az285 the returns were simple mechanics. It was the hip rotation transferring weight and momentum to the ball to effortlessly exponentially create power and pace.
Becker is the best tennis player Germany ever had. High talent, incredible will and very emotional. Although you got the impression that he could have reached more. His private life was not that stable and it seemed that he wasn’t always focused enough on Tennis.
Becker is the best German male player. Steffi Graf is the greatest German tennis player of either gender with 22 slams.
@@rajusaha855 see how she goes against Becker though
@@tomr6955 that's unfair i am looking by their achievements. Even a 200 ranked German had beaten both Williams sisters that doesn't mean you should ranked him higher than Serena or Venus. Steffi achievement is far superior than Becker. FYI Steffi is the GOAT female tennis player or atleast in top 3 but Becker isn't even top 10 greats in open era let alone of all time.
@@tomr6955 When Boris was a teenager, he had to practise with Steffie Graf, because she was that good already and Boris not... read his Biography ;-)
@@stefanthomassen4750 Well, it did not last long, Becker was short as a kid
Keep up the good work man! your the first tennis youtuber to make the "how good" series.
Dropping out of school in the 10th grade?? Absolutely the best and most colorful player amongst a host of awful unattactive, overpaid brats. But dropping out of school cost him dearly in terms of wealth. Also, hiding personal assets from an English Bankruptsy court was just incredibly stupid, a very serious crime in most jurisdictions. Love his toughness and spirt. Go booom boom!!
Becker with a wooden racket??? What cartoon did you see...?😅🤣😂😆
Am Tag, als Boris seinen Rücktritt verkündete vergoss ich ein paar Tränen (ich weiß es ist lächerlich). Aber an diesem Tag war auch ein Stück meiner Jugend vorbei.
He is the best one / Sweden
With Boris a new era began. Tennis courts had an explosion of young tesserate. We Iearned tennis looking on tv the innovative tecnique of Becker and Agassi. And even if i'm 51 years old and play once in a year, everytime i have a match with a friend is as a never stopped to handle a raquette. Thank you Boris, thank you Andre.
Max🎾
I'm glad that now Becker has 'served' his time in prison. Ahahahahahahah
And his "return" was faster than anyone could've imagined.
At Wimbledon 1985 He Brought Power Tennis And Much Intensity In The Sport. His Game, The Irresistible Serve, The Massive Forehand, The Absolute Will, The Becker Dive, The Becker Fist, The Becker Block, The Serve & Volley Play, The Good Baseline Shots, The Nerves Of Steel Changed The Game. He Had Everything There At 17 And He Was Basically A Finished Player.
His backhand, half volleys and touch were not there at 17 though. But by 19 he was pretty much a complete player. Of course he improved over time in all aspects of his game
@@z1az285 He Had A Good Touch And At Least A Solid Backhand With Power Then Too (1985). The Half Volleys Were Also A Part In The Style Of His Play Very Early. When He Was 19, He Had His First Deep Crisis In His Game And Not Much Success.
@@M.EngelhART Yes, but he was a much more complete player. He won Indian Wells on slow hard that he couldn't have earlier. In a sense his early success was too much. It made and also broke him. If he had developed normally he would have won a lot more with less pressure. I have no doubt.
@@z1az285 What You Write Is Hypothetical And Not Provable. These Are Contingencies.
@@M.EngelhART No, the pressure on him was abnormal. It is true the 1985 win was absolutely phenomenal, but to repeat was even more difficult. That being said, he himself admitted he couldn't develop his game the way he wanted to because of other obligations/ external pressure. Sampras won the USO at 19 but didn't win any slams for two more years and it motivated him to work and improve. Look at his record after that. Boris did the same in 1989 but the mental pressure took a big toll on him and from 1991 Wimbledon to 1995 he completely lost motivation for long periods.
Becker didnt have an attitude on court - thats not right. It was more about the US vs Russia German thing outside of tennis. He was my fav player growing up. Could have got more titles. And yes those old guys from that period - would be on par with raffa roger and joko. Do not underestimate the racquet tech - these days you can get easy points. The big four of that time where Becker was at times the top - was a time just like now with the big three. Do not underestimate sport medicine, these old guy were probably all on EPO plus a bunch of other stuff. Infact in agassis book he keeps the same trainer and he gets given special drinks. Those 80s and 90s players when the sport became super professional in all areas would beat anyone on their day their games were amazing - the net play - the shot selection. It was almost a different game to now. The tech is so much better and easier to control the ball than in the past.
Actually he beat Tim Mayotte to secure the win for Germany both countries had lost in the first round and were fighting elimination.
Becker faced Pete in Pete’s prime. 80s becker vs 90s Pete would be some great matches.
Boom boom Boris? I don't remember that one
Becker did not use a wood racket.
Becker lost to all his wives or gf especially financially
Boris Becker bekant Tanis spiler in Germany ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The problem with Becker's impact on German tennis was that for a short time tennis, especially the new Siegfried, was hyped above all. And every Becker match, even the most unimportant backyard matches, were shown live. They even dared to replace the French Open final for a fun match between Becker and Stich. Also a nationalistic concentration on matches with German participants began. Tennis was no longer international but served for national pride.
After the hero's retirement, his Goetterdaemmerung', and the disappearance of Michael Stich and Steffi Graf from the courts the TV broadcasters didn't even show ... Wimbledon. So you had to rely on Pay-TV or newpapers to get more information of Tennis Championchips. Gone were the times when you could watch the US Open with John McEnroe and Peter Fleming as doubles live on TV at midnight. A burial shroud was laid on international tennis, only to be removed when a new Siegfried rises again.
But Germany got a replacement: Racing bully Michael Schumacher. And so the nation was fine.
Becker was unbelievably brilliant 👌