At the age of 17, before he was even allowed to drive in his native Germany, Boris Becker took the sports world by storm with an unforgettable run to the 1985 Wimbledon title. In just his fifth Grand Slam tournament, Becker became the first unseeded player and the first German to claim the Wimbledon men's singles crown.
That shock result triggered a tennis explosion in Germany. A poll revealed that 90 per cent of Germans knew Becker, while less than half could name the chancellor of their country.
"They called me a phenomenon," Becker said in Part 2 of ACES: The ATP No. 1 Club docuseries. "There's a German word, wunderkind, the wonder boy. I was 17 and a half. I wasn't even allowed to drive in Germany."
For all the praise and adulation, Becker also felt the pressure of carrying a nation on his shoulders. He struggled at times to back up his London run, winning just two titles — Cincinnati and Chicago — in the 12 months that followed.
When he returned to Wimbledon in 1986 as the fourth seed, then 18, few gave him a chance to retain his title—even his own team. But in a flawless fortnight, the German lost just one set and successfully defended his trophy with a straight-sets final victory over reigning World No. 1 Ivan Lendl.
Those two titles made Becker a household name around the world. His playing style added to the aura: Borg calls himself tennis' first real power player. With a big serve and ground game, the German's goal was to put pressure on his opponents.
Before tennis, his goal was at the end of a football pitch. As a goalkeeper in his youth, Becker grew very comfortable with diving, hitting the deck in the heat of battle. That stuck with him on the tennis court, as Becker's full-stretch, diving volleys became a calling card—and added an intimidation factor for his opponents.
If his aerial exploits weren't enough to whip the crowd into a frenzy, he also invited them into the match alongside him by wearing his emotions on his sleeve, often using the fans to help him through matches.
A childhood hero to Roger Federer, who spent a record 237 consecutive weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings from 2004-08, Becker never enjoyed that type of longevity at No. 1. He spent just 12 weeks at the summit, in 1991 — nearly six years after he first burst onto the scene with his maiden Wimbledon title.
Along his journey to No. 1, he spent 109 weeks as the World No. 2. Rafael Nadal famously spent 160 straight weeks as No. 2 before ascending to No. 1.
"I was always 2. I was like the longest No. 2 in the world, never becoming No. 1," Becker reflected. "Imagine... you go crazy."
But he earned a chance to end his wait at the 1991 Australian Open, when he met Ivan Lendl in the final.
"The night before, I couldn't sleep. I was so excited," he recalled. "If I beat Lendl tomorrow, I'm going to be No. 1."
After a slow start, Becker left no doubt with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory in Melbourne. With his fourth Grand Slam title, he earned his first and only stint as World No. 1.
"The strongest feeling I had was relief," Becker said. "Like, ‘I've done that now, finally’."
Becker was so thrilled with his accomplishment that he wanted to take it all in on his own in the privacy of the locker room. After leaving the court, he had to be convinced to come back out for the trophy ceremony.
While he felt his 12 weeks at No. 1 were too short, Becker nonetheless carved out a place in history as a member of the ATP No. 1 Club.
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