Six-time Grand Slam champion, Boris Becker, has opened up about the difficulties he faced after his early breakthrough in tennis, admitting that the weight of expectation took a heavy toll on him.
Becker stunned the world in 1985 when, at just 17 years old, he defeated Kevin Curren in the Wimbledon final to become the youngest men’s singles champion at the All England Club.
Looking back, the German legend says that milestone was both a blessing and a burden.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the 57-year-old reflected, “I shot myself in the foot by winning Wimbledon at 17. If you remember any other wunderkind, they usually don’t make it to 50 because of the trials and tribulations that come after.”
He explained how the global attention that followed made life more complicated than most teenagers could handle.
“Whatever you do, wherever you go, whoever you talk to, it becomes a world sensation. It becomes the headline of some of the most important papers of tomorrow. And you’re just trying to mature, just trying to find your feet in the world,” Becker said.
According to him, that single triumph set a benchmark he could never escape.
“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, but maybe 17 was too young. I was still a child.”
