5 obscure facts about Boris Becker
November 20, 2018
In 1985, a 17-year-old player from Baden-Württemberg won at Wimbledon's prestigious tennis tournament, defeating the favorite at the time, Kevin Curren. Boris Becker's triumph came as a complete surprise, and turned him into an international star overnight.
Becker became the youngest Wimbledon champion, a record he still retains to this day. The German president at the time, Richard von Weizsäcker, was one of the first to congratulate him. The winning tennis racket used by "Bobbeles," as Becker was nicknamed, was later give to Pope John Paul II.
In Germany, Boris Becker triggered a sudden hysteria for tennis. Instead of football, people in the 1980s would watch the French Open; millions of people became members of tennis clubs. Meanwhile, Boris Becker kept climbing to the top rankings of world players.
Sports and scandals
By the time his professional tennis-playing career ended in 1999, Becker had won 49 singles titles and 15 in doubles, including an Olympic gold medal.
After that, although he worked as a trainer for Novac Djokovic, he rather made headlines for his excessive lifestyle, with affairs in broom closets, an illegitimate child and bankruptcies.
Beyond those big scandals, there remain a few little-known details from the tennis star's life. Discover them in this High Five gallery.