The Rise and Fall of Boris Becker

I remain a sports fan (these days a spectator rather than partaker) and, while there are a number of other sports I prefer, I enjoy tennis. This is especially so when two weeks in the year Wimbledon is held.

Over the years I have followed legends, going back to Rod Laver and Margaret Court when young and from a British perspective Virginia Wade and in the current era, Andrew Murray (our own champions from among the elite of the world), with always an attraction toward characters like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe as well as superb solid types like Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras, and today, the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (as much for their exploits off the tennis court as on) and on the ladies side, I have an admiration for the likes of Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.

There are many other great tennis players who I admired, not named above, but one who stands out is Boris Becker. I well recall being awestruck following this seventeen-year-old German lad who had come from nowhere and won (and later retained (1986) and regained (1989)) the men’s singles Wimbledon championship, in 1985, and for a few years and in a small way following him and impressed by his attitude to life as well as a tennis ambassador.

The Bible text “How the mighty has fallen” came to mind when I read “Boris Becker: How a tennis superstar crashed to earth”, which begins “Boris Becker has been jailed for hiding assets to avoid paying debts. How did the former golden boy of tennis come to this?” The article provides some answers to the question it poses. My response was sadness, mindful such a great fall could happen to any, from the least to the great. My hope and prayer are that he will come back, even better and stronger.