Today, one of the legends of world tennis is celebrating his birthday: the legendary Boris Becker. As part of your upcoming tennis language trip with our organization, LEC can’t resist telling you more about this tennis legend.
A birth in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
Boris Becker was born on November 22, 1967, in Leimen, a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Introduced to the courts at a very young age by his father, he honed his skills before turning professional before he was even of legal age—at just 17 years old. His legend was about to begin… and in style.
A list of achievements that will make your head spin
With a powerful serve and a spectacular attacking game, he became, in 1985—at just 17 years old!— the youngest winner of Wimbledon, a tournament he would go on to win two more times:
- in 1986
- in 1989
His impressive list of achievements also includes:
- the Masters: in 1987, 1988, 1992, and 1995
- Flushing Meadows, in 1989
- the Australian Open, in 1991 and 1996
And what about Roland Garros in all this? The German player, whom you may hear people singing the praises of during your tennis language study trip, will never make it past the semifinals. His consolation prize—and not a small one—will be winning:
- the Davis Cup in 1988 and 1989 with the West German team
- the 1989 World Championships
In total, Boris Becker has won 49 singles titles…and earned over $25 million in prize money during the many tournaments he has competed in.
What about life after a playing career?
Boris Becker has been retired since 1999 and has since transitioned into a career as a tennis coach. And he hasn’t settled for just any player—he’s currently coaching… Novak Djokovic, the world’s number one!