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Boris Becker Admits Winning Wimbledon At 17 Came Too Soon
Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker has revealed that he regrets winning Wimbledon at the age of 17, admitting that the early success placed immense pressure on him during and after his career.
The German stunned the tennis world in 1985 when, at just 17 years, seven months and 15 days, he beat Kevin Curren to become the youngest Wimbledon men’s singles champion of all time. While he went on to win five more Grand Slam titles — including two more at Wimbledon — Becker says the achievement at such a young age came with a heavy cost.
“Whatever you do, wherever you go, whoever you talk to, it becomes a world sensation,” Becker told BBC Sport.
“When you start a second career everything is measured at this success of winning Wimbledon at 17. And that changed the road ahead tremendously.
I’m happy to have won three [Wimbledon titles], but maybe 17 was too young. I was still a child.”
A Career Overshadowed By Turbulence
Despite his brilliance on the court, Becker’s private life was often marked by controversy and financial struggles. In 2023, he was released from prison in London after serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence for hiding £2.5m worth of assets to avoid paying debts.
Reflecting on that period, Becker admitted:
“I was too comfortable. I had too much money. Nobody told me ‘no’ — everything was possible. In hindsight, that’s the recipe for disaster.
So you take accountability for your actions… you cannot change the past. You can only change the future because you live in today.”
Finding Strength Through Djokovic
Becker, who coached Novak Djokovic between 2013 and 2016, said he took inspiration from the Serbian star’s 2022 Wimbledon triumph — even while watching from prison.
“I was supporting Djokovic at the time I saw him on TV, when he was winning matches and ultimately winning the title against Nick Kyrgios.
That was very inspirational for me and in the end very emotional for me. My brother Novak is there and I’m in one of the worst prisons in the world. So it puts life into perspective.”
Legacy Of A Wunderkind
Now 57, Becker acknowledges both the blessings and burdens of being a teenage prodigy. While his historic win at Wimbledon will always be celebrated, his story also serves as a cautionary tale about fame, fortune, and the challenges of maturing under the spotlight.
As he puts it, winning Wimbledon so young “changed the road ahead tremendously” — and not always for the better.
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