Wimbledon 1985

Wimbledon 1985 John McEnroe was the defending champion, who was considered by most to successfully defend his trophy. There were other favorites too. Connors, Wilander, Lendl, Leconte, Kriek, Cash, Edberg and Curren were some of the other favorites. Nobody gave Becker a ghost of chance of winning Wimbledon despite his victory at Queen’s a short while back. In fact, Becker was unseeded in Wimbledon 1985. Edberg was the fourteenth seed and was considered a contender for the crown. Bjorn Borg had remarked that in his book McEnroe was the odds on favorite and Edberg was second after McEnroe. Becker, after his victory at Queen’s, was considered to be a flash in the plan. Nobody thought that winning the 1985 Queen’s Club would be a watershed in Becker’s career. Only time and destiny would say whether it would be or not. Wimbledon 1985: First Round - Wimbledon 1985 had a dismal and gloomy beginning. It was raining incessantly on Monday. The rain wreaked havoc on the first day’s play. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather improved but it was still raining intermittently. In the first round the defending champion John McEnroe cruised past Peter McNamara of Australia in straight sets notwithstanding his acrimonious encounters with the tennis umpire and line judges. Jimmy Connors cruised past his nondescript opponent in straight sets. Ivan Lendl swept past Mel Purcell in straight sets. Pat Cash barely survived by the skin of his teeth in a close five set encounter against Todd Nelson. The veteran Tom Gullikson defenestrated the young, talented Slovakian Miloslav Mecir. A similar fate had to be endured by Henrik Sundstrom of Sweden, who was eliminated by Greg Holmes. The canny veteran Vitas Gerulaitis had a close shave against Peter Fleming, John McEnroe’s doubles partner. Gerulaitis came through in five tough sets. The Queen’s Club Champion namely the 17 year old Boris Becker came back from a set down to defeat Hank Pfister in a well fought four-set match in the first round. The only shocking upset in the fourth round was witnessed when the French Open champion and holder of 4 Grand Slams Mats Wilander, who was one of the best players in the world succumbed in four sets to the blisteringly fast serves of the Serbian Slobodan Zivojinovic. Zivojinovic had stunned the London crowd with his lightning serves and with the nonchalant way in which he knocked out Wilander in the opening round. Wilander’s exit opened up the draw for the other top players but everyone was still wary of the young Zivojinovic, who had sonorously sounded alarm bells for others. Second Round - In the second round the defending champion John McEnroe overcame his demons to outmatch Nduka Odizor of Nigeria. Odizor, who had lost the previous year to the unseeded German Boris Becker, was initially giving the defending champion a mighty scare in the first set when he had broken McEnroe and advanced to a 5-3 lead. McEnroe, however, broke back and took the set to a tiebreaker, in which he prevailed over the Nigerian. In the second set, McEnroe treated the Nigerian with utter disdain. He won the second set 6 - 1. The third set, like the first, went to a tiebreak, which McEnroe comfortably won 7 - 1. In other matches the unseeded Boris Becker threw Matt Anger around incessantly like a rag doll. Becker demolished Anger in straight sets, the scorecard reading in favor of Becker 6-0 6-1 6-3. Slobodan Zivojinovic, the Serbian giant who had knocked the stuffing out of the great Mats Wilander, met his match in the second round. The big serving Serbian lost a close five set match to another big server, the Swiss Heinz Guenthardt. Ivan Lendl survived a rain-hampered five setter against Mike Leach. Lendl, ill at ease on grass, looked uncomfortable against Leach but somehow scraped through. Pat Cash, the previous year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist had a tough time against Ricardo Acuna before finally succumbing to his superior opponent on the day in a nail-biting five setter. Johan Kriek, who had eliminated Victor Pecci in the first round, won against John Fitzgerald of Australia in four sets. Kevin Curren ousted Mike De Palmer in four sets while the talented Stefan Edberg took out Tim Wilkison of the United States in five tough sets. Jimmy Connors, Anders Jarryd, Yannick Noah, Vitas Gerulaitis, Henri Leconte, Ramesh Krishnan and Joakim Nystrom were victorious in their second round encounters. Other than the veteran Vitas Gerulaitis, who prevailed in a tough five setter, most of these players won without much fuss. Third Round - The third round had some exciting matches. Jimmy Connors had a tough match against Ramesh Krishnan, the elegant tennis player from India. The first three sets were very tight and tense. It was a battle of nerves. The veteran Connors edged out the stylish Krishnan in this department to win 2 out of the first three sets. At 1-set all, Connors won a vital third set. The third set, like the first two, could have gone either way. Connors’ experience, steely nerves, cunning and willpower saw him win a close third set. In the fourth set, Connors capitalized on his lead and eviscerated a deflated Ramesh Krishnan. Connors won 7-5 5-7 7-5 6-2. In complete contrast to Connors, the defending champion John McEnroe breezed through his third round encounter with Christo Steyn in straight sets. He had very few hiccups and dispatched Steyn with ease. Johan Kriek, twice victorious previously at the Australian Open, suffered a setback. He was out of sorts in his match with Andreas Maurer and lost tamely to a run-of-the-mill German tennis player. Stefan Edberg and Kevin Curren won their matches with consummate ease. They sent their nondescript opponents home packing. Edberg and Curren would clash in the next round. Sammy Giammalva upended Ben Testerman, the 1984 semi-finalist at the Australian Open, in four grueling sets after losing the first one. A qualifier called Robert Seguso shocked Tom Gullikson, the vanquisher of the Slovakian tennis artist Miloslav Mecir. David Pate, who had taken out Steve Denton in the previous round, was woken up from his reverie on the grass courts of England. The Chilean Ricardo Acuna showed him the light of day as he crushed Pate’s dream in straight sets. Acuna, the conqueror of Pat Cash, set up a fourth round encounter with Seguso. The Swede Anders Jarryd swept away his opponent to sail to the fourth round. Yannick Noah, the 1983 French Open champion, was tamed by the seasoned serve and volleyer from India videlicet Vijay Amritraj. Amritraj, a grass court specialist, defenestrated Noah. Amritraj won in four sets. Meanwhile, Vitas Gerulaitis, who had won two back-to-back five set matches, failed in his bid to win three straight back-to-back five set matches. The powerful serving Swiss Heinz Gunthardt caught him short in his quest. Gunthardt’s honeymoon at Wimbledon continued. He had three prized scalps namely Brian Teacher, Slobodan Zivojinovic and Vitas Gerulaitis. Teacher and Gerulaitis were Grand Slam champions, both of whom had been dispatched by the big serving Swiss Heinz Gunthardt. Gunthardt would meet, in the fourth round, the phlegmatic Vijay Amritraj. Henri Leconte, in his third round encounter, had knocked John Lloyd out of the tournament while Ivan Lendl took Shlomo Glickstein out of the competition. Leconte would meet Lendl in the fourth round in a much hyped-up match as the talented French serve and volley exponent would spar against the explosive Czech baseliner. In a very tough match in the third round, Tim Mayotte showed a lot of character, determination, tenacity and courage as he defeated Paul McNamee of Australia after being two sets to love down. The turning point of the match was the tiebreaker in the third set that Mayotte won. The last two sets were anticlimactic as McNamee meekly surrendered to the gentlemanly Tim Mayotte. Mayotte triumphed 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 6-0. Nevertheless, despite the wave of exciting and exhausting tennis matches in the third round, the most exhilarating tennis match was unequivocally that between the Swede Joakim Nystrom, the seventh seed, and the unseeded Boris Becker of Germany. Becker versus Nystrom - None of the third round matches could hold a candle to this one where fortunes were oscillating to and fro. The match was a nail-biting contest that kept the spectators on the edge of their seats in Court One. In the first set, Nystrom nullified Becker’s raw power and brute force with his experience and cunning. His lobs and other sneaky strokes caught a jejune Boris off guard. Boris lost the first set and it seemed like the blond German would be soon on his way out of Wimbledon. Nevertheless, Becker had other ideas. Becker unleashed his blistering serves in the second set much to the chagrin and frustration of Nystrom. The dogged Nystrom somehow took the set to a tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was crucial, more so for Boris. If Boris lost the second set, winning the match would be an uphill task for him. Boris’s cannonball serves was the pivotal factor in the second set tiebreak. Boris won the second set 7-6. It was 1-set all. The match was at that point of time postponed by the umpire as a result of dim light. The Becker-Nystrom tussle resumed two days later. The third set showcased Becker’s superb serve and volley style of play as well as his lightning service returns and piercing passing shot returns. Becker just walloped Nystrom 6-1 in the third set. In the fourth set, Nystrom regrouped himself and demonstrated his experience and will power. Nystrom won the fourth set 6-4 and was looking menacing in the fifth. It seemed like the teenage German’s inexperience and vulnerability would succumb to Nystrom’s experience and equanimity. Nystrom broke Becker’s vaunted serve. When Nystrom was serving for the match at 5 – 4, it appeared to be curtains for Boris. Contrary to conventional wisdom, boisterous Boris broke Nystrom. Becker’s blitzkrieg service returns and passing shots stunned the staid Swede. Not just Nystrom, but the entire Wimbledon crowd was astounded. Becker had leveled the score to 5 - 5 with his stinging passing shot service returns and breathtaking passing shot returns. Nonetheless, the stable, stocky and stoic Swede hit back. Becker was broken once again. Surely, the sagacious Nystrom would close the match this time on his serve. There would be no miracle this time. Boris would not be able to break again. He would have to soon pack his bags and exit England. This was a foregone conclusion. Every one knew it. They waited for Nystrom to complete the formality. But, wait! Lo and behold! Boris has other ideas and pulls the rug vigorously out of Nystrom’s feet. Boris breaks Nystrom once again, much to the freakish surprise of the enthralled English spectators. It is 6 – all. Becker holds on to his service game and leads 7 - 6. In the next game, Nystrom hangs on to dear life on his inelegant serve to make it 7 -all. Becker wins his service game to make it 8 – 7. Becker, buoyed by confidence after having escaped from the jaws of death in the nick of time, finally delivers the coup de grace to Nystrom. Becker breaks Nystrom once more to win the final set 9 -7. This was a cliffhanger of a match where the pugilistic German overwhelmed the phlegmatic Swede. It remained to be seen whether this match would be a harbinger of a new era in tennis history. Having the benefit of hindsight, we now know the answer to this question. Becker was twice simply two points away from defeat against the placid Nystrom. It was 30-all on Nystrom’s serve at 5 – 4 in the fifth set when the legend of a blond German teenage tennis sensation namely Becker began unfolding. Becker’s lethal backhand came to the fore at this point in time. Becker’s backhand passing shots turned the tables upside down on the nonplussed Nystrom. Becker and Nystrom exchanged two breaks each. Becker had lost his serve the second time by serving double faults. Nystrom was in the driver’s seat again by breaking Becker in the 11th game of the set again and serving at 6 – 5 and 15 – 0 in the 12th game. Again, Becker’s ballistic backhand combined with a good forehand broke Nystrom’s back. After the 12th game of the set, things were not quite the same. Becker had not only worn out Nystrom physically but had also broken his morale. Becker hit lightning serves and unplayable volleys to seize the initiative at once. Carpe Diem! Arte et Marte! Becker delivered the final blow to Nystrom in the 16th game of the set. Becker broke Nystrom for the third time in the deciding set. Becker won 9 – 7 in the fifth set. Becker in the limelight – After the match, the media was awash with lavish praise for Becker’s calm and composed handling of the extremely tense moments of the match. Nystrom foresaw a bright future for Becker at Wimbledon. The defending champion McEnroe thought that Becker could prove to be sinister for the top players. Ion Tiriac thought that Becker was fully capable of toppling the apple cart in men’s tennis. Tiriac did not rule out Becker’s chances at Wimbledon that year. He was also impressed by Becker’s audacious strokeplay. Becker himself was brimming with confidence and was upbeat about his chance of success in the future. He announced with characteristic chutzpah that time had come in men’s tennis for the old guard to make way for the new. In the match against Nystrom, Becker unleashed 19 aces, chipped and charged successfully on Nystrom’s serve on many occasions and clobbered jumping overheads off Nystrom’s lobs. Fourth Round – The fourth round would witness the next round of pulsating matches. The defending champion John McEnroe pancaked the German Andreas Maurer to advance to the quarterfinals. McEnroe would meet the 1984 Australian Open runner-up Kevin Curren in the quarterfinal. Kevin Curren had burst the bubble of the Swedish teen sensation Stefan Edberg, who was one of the favorites to win Wimbledon that year. Bjorn Borg thought that it would be either McEnroe or Edberg that would lift the trophy that year at Wimbledon. Edberg’s departure enhanced McEnroe’s chances of winning a fourth Wimbledon crown. McEnroe had met Curren in Wimbledon 1980 4th round and defeated him convincingly. Besides defeating Curren at Wimbledon 1980, Johnny Mac also demolished Kevin Curren in the 4th round at the 1981 US Open. McEnroe lead 2-0 against Curren at Grand Slam matches and had an overall record of 7-0 against Curren in career head to head matches including ATP tournaments. It seemed like McEnroe should not face much trouble against Curren in the quarters. Nevertheless, there is a caveat. John should not underestimate Kevin Curren as it would be unwise to do so. Curren is in top form and looks to be peaking at the right time. In a match of big servers, Curren overpowered Edberg. Curren’s unique and devastating serve proved to be a handful for Edberg. Edberg was encumbered while returning Curren’s wicked serve. Curren smashed ace after ace in dispatching Edberg in straight sets. Curren handled Edberg’s elegant slice and kick serves relatively with ease. Edberg was overwhelmed by Curren’s blistering power and pace in a lopsided contest. If Curren plays against McEnroe the way he played against Edberg, the McEnroe-Curren quarterfinal could be a cracking match. Jimmy Connors, the wily veteran, looked in pristine form today as he decimated Sammy Giammalva in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinal. Connors would meet the Chilean Ricardo Acuna, who easily downed Robert Seguso. Anders Jarryd of Sweden comprehensively routed Danie Visser of South Africa to reach the quarterfinals. Jarryd would meet the big server from Switzerland scilicet Heinz Gunthardt, who scored a major upset in the fourth round by knocking out the seasoned grass court specialist Vijay Amritraj of India. The talented Amritraj, India’s best tennis player, who has innumerable victories over top players like Borg, Connors and McEnroe was simply stunned by the obscure Swiss in straight sets. Gunthardt seems to have a fair chance of upending Jarryd. One of the best fourth round matches was played between Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia, the second seed and the unseeded Frenchman Henri Leconte. It was an exciting match, which had the spectators completely engrossed. Another riveting fourth round match that captured the unadulterated attention of the viewers was that on Court 14 between the 16th seeded American Tim Mayotte, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and the German wunderkind Boris Becker, who had already enraptured the British crowds with his dashing and daring strokeplay. In the following paragraphs I will elaborate more on these two thrilling, edge-of-the-seat contests. Becker versus Mayotte – In the Becker-Mayotte match at Court 14, Becker served powerfully and returned Mayotte’s solid serves with style and substance. Becker broke Mayotte’s serve in the sixth game of the set. The German then held on to his serves to capture the first set with ease. The score line read 6-3 in favor of Becker. In the second set, Mayotte fought hard and saved break points on his serve with very good volleys. The first nine games of the second set with serve. Becker was looking quite comfortable in the match. It is then that the unthinkable happened. At 4-5 Becker served two disastrous double faults and gave Mayotte an opening. Mayotte seized the opportunity and won the second set 6-4 with perfect passing shots to make it one set all. The match was back on an even keel. In the third set both Becker and Mayotte had to work hard to hold their service games. They did however manage to hold on to their service games and the set went to a tiebreaker. Mayotte gained a mini-break in the tiebreaker with a good passing shot to go up 4-2. At 4-6 in the tiebreak with Becker serving to hold on to the set, Mayotte played a spectacular passing shot to take the third set 7-6. Mayotte now led two sets to one and was looking poised to dispatch Becker. In the first ten games of the fourth set there was no drama as both players served and volleyed very well to hold onto their games though Mayotte looked slightly menacing with his picture perfect passing shots. The 11th game of the fourth set saw a few heated verbal exchanges between the upstart German and the veteran American. Mayotte’s returns were terrific and earned him a break point against Becker. This is where the German’s gritty character was on display as he dug himself out of the hole. On break point Mayotte hit a tremendous service return but Becker rose to the occasion and played a delectable half volley to make it deuce. He went on to win his service game and pumped his fist. In the next game at 30-15 on Mayotte’s serve, Becker slipped and fell to the ground. He badly twisted his leg and was about to retire hurt from the match. He even went up to the net to shake Mayotte’s hand but his opponent did not accept Becker’s surrender. Becker, however, told the umpire that he wanted to throw in the towel. At this point in time, it looked like déjà vu as the previous year at Wimbledon he had succumbed to a badly sprained ankle in his match against Bill Scanlon. This time, nonetheless, his overbearing and high-handed manager Ion Tiriac bellowed at him to not give up. The heavy-handed mannerisms of his manager and despotic demeanor made Boris change his mind. He took an injury time out and continued the match in his wounded state. Mayotte won his service game and took the set to a tiebreak. Becker edged out Mayotte in a thrilling tiebreaker that could have gone either way to win the set 7-6 and make it two sets all. After the conclusion of the fourth set, Boris’s leg was heavily strapped up to assuage the pain and injury. Boris inured himself to the injury and inconvenience. He soldiered on to play the last set, where Mayotte would serve first. In the fifth set just like the fourth, when the chips were down, Becker ‘s willpower did not wilt. Becker proved himself able to the task by breaking Mayotte’s serve successfully twice in the first and seventh games of the fifth set. Becker held on to his serve and on his way to a tremendous triumph served some scorching aces and service winners. Becker won a close five setter against Mayotte and his steely nerves were the talk of town. He had now marched on to the quarterfinal where he would take on the winner of the Lendl-Leconte contest. Lendl versus Leconte – In the Lendl-Leconte match, Lendl won the first set. Lendl’s sizzling serves in the first set put him ahead in the match. Lendl’s powerful play looked menacing compared to Leconte’s inconsistent game. In the second set, Lendl faulted on his first serves and his second serve lacked the sting of his first. The flamboyant Frenchman Leconte capitalized on Lendl’s lackluster serve to break him with him some breathtaking returns. Leconte anticipated Lendl’s serves and hit rocket-like returns. Leconte won the second set with ease. Leconte’s service got bigger and better as the match progressed. Lendl was simply rendered a stunned spectator. Leconte’s rapier returns and vicious volleys proved to be too much for Ivan’s artificial grass court game. In the fourth set, the Leconte juggernaut crushed a demoralized and distressed Lendl. Leconte’s superb serving and swift service returns had befuddled Lendl. Leconte won over Lendl in four sets. The score was 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-1. Leconte would now meet Becker in the quarters. This would be a match of two extremely promising serve and volley players. Leconte’s magnificent performance against Lendl gave him a slight edge against Becker. The other quarterfinals were Jarryd versus Gunthardt, Connors versus Acuna and McEnroe versus Curren. McEnroe was the clear favorite against Curren notwithstanding the latter’s clinical performance against young Edberg. Connors was expected to defeat the big serving Chilean Acuna. In the Gunthardt - Jarryd quarterfinal, Gunthardt was expected to overcome Jarryd. After all, Gunthardt had ousted the monstrous server Zivojinovic and upset the wise veterans Vitas Gerulaitis, Vijay Amritraj and Brian Teacher. Two of Gunthardt’s scalps had been Grand Slam Champions. Gunthardt was on a roll in Wimbledon 1985. The four quarterfinals presented a promising prospect of watching high quality grass court tennis. Six of the eight men had smashing serves while two of them were very slippery service returners. Quarterfinals – In the first quarterfinal, Heinz Gunthardt disappointed many people as the Swede Anders Jarryd dispatched him in straight sets. Jarryd had feet of quicksilver and his returns were unbelievable. Jarryd made short work of Gunthardt and marched into his first Grand Slam semifinal. Jimmy Connors, eight-time Grand Slam champion and former two-time Wimbledon champion, again became a hot favorite to win Wimbledon for the third time after he decisively defeated his quarterfinal opponent Ricardo Acuna in straight sets. Acuna served very well but found Connors’s groundstrokes too hot to handle. Acuna’s service returns were rather run-of-the-mill and unable to pierce through Connors’s serves. McEnroe versus Curren – The defending champion John McEnroe was expected to breeze through to the semifinals. Instead, he was unceremoniously dethroned as his characteristically swinging serve lost its sharpness and sting. McEnroe moved lethargically and was playing in a perfunctory manner. McEnroe’s volleys were blunt and were regularly passed by Curren. McEnroe committed many forced and unforced errors in the match. It was as if McEnroe was sleepwalking in the match and his style of serve and volley tennis had descended into serve and folly tennis. The way McEnroe played made him look like a zombie. On the other hand, Curren was in fine fettle. Curren simply knocked the stuffing out of a jaded McEnroe. Curren’s unique, low-toss and quick serve confounded McEnroe. McEnroe had no answer for Curren’s searing serves. Curren volleyed very well and kept McEnroe at bay. Curren’s virile service returns pummeled McEnroe into abject submission. Curren had upset the apple cart and seemed like a menacing prospect for anyone in his path. Becker versus Leconte – Meanwhile, Boris Becker’s fairytale at Wimbledon continued. The first set was so close that it could have gone either way. Becker eventually got the better of Leconte in a tiebreaker to go ahead in the match. Becker’s acrobatic abilities and fighting qualities helped him edge out Leconte in the first set. In the second set, Leconte struck back with marquee serves, volleys and returns to bring the match back on an even keel. Leconte displayed in the second set some of the form that helped him beat Lendl in the previous round. Nevertheless, Leconte’s form was evanescent as Becker’s destructive and superior service helped the German win the two next sets and the match. The ebullient German had demolished the flamboyant French and was in the Wimbledon semifinals. Semifinals – Kevin Curren would meet Jimmy Connors in the first semifinal. In the second semifinal, the Swede Anders Jarryd would take on the German teenage sensation Boris Becker. The bookmakers had betted on a Connors-Becker Wimbledon final. Becker had suddenly burst onto the scene out of nowhere. He was simply astounding everyone with his powerful and acrobatic style of play, effervescent manner and conduct, entertaining antics and boundless confidence to such an extent that the bookmakers had given him an edge over Connors in a possible confrontation in a Wimbledon final. It remained to be seen whether the bookmakers’ assessment of Becker would be vindicated. Connors versus Curren - On Friday, July 5th the first semifinal kicked off featuring the eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors (also a former two-time Wimbledon champion) against the big-serving, grass court specialist Kevin Curren. Kevin Curren, was a runner-up in the 1984 Australian Open to Mats Wilander. In 1983, Kevin was a semifinalist at Wimbledon. On his way to the semis at Wimbledon in 1983, Kevin had knocked out Connors in the fourth round with an armada of aces. At that time, Connors’ loss to Curren was considered an aberration. Everyone expected this time Connors would turn the tables on Curren. Curren was simply thought of as a flash in the pan. The tennis experts and the public expected Connors to throw Curren out of the tournament. Notwithstanding the underappreciating public, the purportedly garden-variety Curren played out of this world against the ageing Connors. Curren’s performance against Connors was over the top. It was simply a mind-blowing spectacle to see Curren manhandle Connors. It was agonizing for the Connors fans, which included Princess Diana, to see Curren continuously pummeling Connors without respite. Connors was simply supine that day and offered no resistance to a rampaging Curren. It was a case of history repeating itself at Wimbledon. Like two years ago, Connors had no answer to Curren’s thunderous serves. Curren belted eighteen aces in the match. Bud Collins, the legendary commentator, referred to him as a gun-slinging cowboy. Dick Enberg, another legend, agreed with him. They both said that Curren’s double-barreled gun was simply too overpowering for Connors. Connors, like McEnroe in Curren’s previous match, found Curren to be a solid brick wall with impenetrable defense. Curren’s volleys had amazing angles and his smashes were superb. Connors waited patiently for the storm to subside. It never did. Curren continuously complemented his menacing serves with amazingly accurate volleys and tremendously fast smashes. Connors was simply no match for Curren that day. Connors’ service returns were sloppy and his passing shots lacked penetration. Connors’ lobs were not good enough to keep Curren from approaching the net. Connors’s play did not have the counterpunch to keep Curren locked to the baseline. Connors’s own serve was slow and was not spared by Curren. Curren’s strong service returns and passing shots made Connors look like an amateur. Curren’s victory over McEnroe in the previous round with tremendous service returns and passing shots made him infallible against Connors’s vapid volleys. Curren broke Connors several times in the match and conceded only five games. Curren defeated Connors 6-2 6-2 6-1. Curren had once again knocked out a giant. Curren had claimed two scalps namely McEnroe and Connors in quick succession. Curren had reached his first Wimbledon final and was now a clear favorite to lift the crown. For the first time, Curren was now being expected to win Wimbledon. It remained to be seen who would face Curren in the final. Would it be boisterous Becker or the pugnacious Jarryd? Curren’s opponent in the final did not seem to matter at some level, as his opponent seemed to be the imminent runner-up. After all, Curren had pancaked McEnroe and Connors. Before that, Curren had defenestrated the talented Stefan Edberg in the fourth round. All three victims of Curren had lost in straight sets to him. Most people expected Curren to bulldoze his opponent in the final. Curren had however mentioned to the press that he would prefer to play Jarryd, not Becker, in the final. Curren, despite being the overarching favorite in the Wimbledon final, was slightly apprehensive about Becker’s booming serves. In the second semifinal the Swede Anders Jarryd met the German Boris Becker. Jarryd, despite being world number five and the fifth seed at Wimbledon that year, was considered an underdog against the unseeded Becker. After all, Becker had edged out the seeded players Nystrom and Mayotte in two nail-biting five setters in the third and fourth rounds respectively. In the quarterfinal Becker had knocked out the unpredictably dangerous and marvelously gifted Henri Leconte. Becker versus Jarryd –In complete contrast to what everyone expected, Becker started poorly against Jarryd. Jarryd’s service returns took the thunder out of Becker’s thundering serves and made the German look pretty ordinary in the first set. Jarryd’s service returns were struck with such ferocity that Becker was looking rather inept at volleying the returning ball. Becker could not handle the pace and depth of Jarryd’s passing shots. Jarryd made Becker look like an amateur volleyer at the net. It is out of respect for Jarryd’s missile like returns that Becker stayed back a lot on his second serve and sometimes even on his first serve. Jarryd broke Becker twice in the first set. Jarryd won the first set 6-2 and had the Becker camp tearing their hair out in frustration. Becker had never faced a returner of Jarryd’s class at Wimbledon and was looking bewildered. Becker was dumbfounded at the unexpected intensity of Jarryd’s returns. Jarryd hit more than a dozen winners in the first set to stun Becker. A dumbstruck Becker made more than half a dozen unforced errors in the first set to make matters worse. The second set did not begin well for Becker. As in the first set, Jarryd was returning Becker’s serves with consummate perfection. Jarryd’s passing shots were delightful. Becker’s service was out of rhythm. Becker’s forehand and backhand groundstrokes were very erratic and had no bite. Becker looked out of sorts and was in danger of going two sets to love down in a crucial semifinal match. Jarryd broke Becker and was leading 4-2. It would be an uphill task for Becker to claw himself back into the match being two sets to love down. In the nick of time Becker broke back Jarryd to make it 4-4 in the second set. Jarryd won the next game to go up 5-4. On Becker’s serve, Jarryd had a breakpoint, which was also a set point for him. Jarryd had come within one point of winning the second set. At this pivotal moment, Becker served an ace to erase Jarryd’s set point. It was deuce. Jarryd won the next point and had another set point. Becker saved this set point too with incedible volleying at the net. It was back to deuce. Becker finally won that game to make it 5-5. The second set eventually reached a tiebreaker. Jarryd had a mini-break in the tiebreaker and was leading 3-1. It looked like the Swede would soon pocket the second set. Becker’s task of winning the Wimbledon semifinal from being two sets down would be Sisyphean. Becker was once again precariously standing on the edge of the precipice. It is at this point of time that Becker stopped himself from going into free-fall. Becker retorted with devastating serves. Becker’s two aces in the tiebreaker were scorching and searing. Becker was spitting fire and venom like a fire-breathing dragon. Becker, on top of that, incinerated Jarryd with destructive returns of his own. Becker, with his ruthless returns, gave Jarryd a taste of his own medicine. Becker clinched the tiebreaker 7 -3. It was one-set all and the match had once again evened out. Becker had a slight momentum after winning the second set 7-6. At one-game all in the third set, it started pouring. Play had to be stopped on Friday and was postponed to the next day. On Saturday, Jarryd was speechless as Becker unleashed his volcanic serves. Becker’s service returns were elevated to a different level in the third set and Jarryd’s insipid serves and decent volleys were persistently pierced through by Becker’s eerily early service returns and pillaging passing shots. Becker’s rip-roaring serves helped Becker snatch the third set 6-3 with impunity. Becker piled on the pain and misery for Jarryd in the fourth set. Although Jarryd played slightly better in the fourth than in the third set, his play still lacked the incisiveness to make an impact on the match. Jarryd was not able to recover the previous day’s form. A plundering Becker incessantly pulverized Jarryd’s run-of-the-mill serves. Becker won the fourth set 6-3. Becker had dispatched Jarryd with utter disdain and had stormed his way into the Wimbledon final. Unseeded, seventeen year old Becker was the first German in nearly fifty years to reach the Wimbledon final. It remained to be seen whether Becker could do the impossible. Wimbledon 1985 Final The final was on July 7th. Kevin Curren, conqueror of McEnroe and Connors, was the firm favorite for the final. At that point of time, the prevailing consensus was that Curren had the best serve in men’s tennis. Even Becker acknowledged that. Nonetheless, Becker was unfazed by the situation. He was not in trepidation at playing on Centre Court at Wimbledon. He was not anxious or terrified in playing in the Wimbledon final in front of a sophisticated and snooty crowd. On the contrary, Becker relished the idea of playing the most important match in his life at the mecca of tennis. Becker, despite being the underdog, was brimming with confidence and cockiness. On the other hand, Curren was slightly intimidated by the occasion. Curren, despite being the favorite, was under pressure. Everybody expected him to perform as he had been doing in the previous rounds. The pressure weighed him down. Curren was unconfident about how well he could handle Becker’s dynamite serves. Curren could not conceal his stress. It had become evident on his face and Becker could sense it. Becker versus Curren – Becker served first in the first set. He won his service game and led 1-0 in the first set. In the next game of the match, an upbeat Becker broke Curren’s serve to go up 2-0. Becker returned Curren’s serve very well to gain an early lead in the match. Curren’s unforced errors in his first service game of the match were costly. A double fault by Curren sealed the first break for Becker. Becker did not look back and served thunderbolts on his way to winning the first set 6-3. Becker served four aces in the first set and had a high first serve percentage of 63 %. Becker served blistering service winners and aces in the first set and followed them up with punishing smashes and very good volleys to easily win his service games. Curren had plenty of trouble returning Becker’s powerhouse serves and was unable to break him. Meanwhile, Becker’s forehand service return was looking ominous. Becker returned the ball quickly and viciously off Curren’s first and second serves. This meant that Curren had to play difficult volleys. At the end of the first set, Curren’s first serve percentage was below 50 %. In the second set, Curren started serving much better. He began to find the rhythm on his serve. His first service percentage went up. Curren’s volleys improved by leaps and bounds in the second set. Curren was able to recover his fighting spirit and saved off break points on his serve. On Becker’s serve, Curren had break points of his own but was unable to convert into service breaks. Becker started serving bigger but also made double faults and unforced errors. In the second set, Becker served nine aces. Nevertheless, Becker’s first serve percentage started dipping in the second set. It was Becker’s grittiness that helped him hold on to his service games in the second set. At 6-6, the second set went to a tiebreaker. In the second set tiebreaker, Becker had a minibreak. Becker went to a 3-0 lead. Nonetheless, Curren started returning Becker’s serves very well in the tiebreaker. Curren broke Becker’s serve a few times in the tiebreaker and held on to his own easily to snatch the second set from Becker. Curren snatched five points in a row from Becker. Curren won the tiebreaker 7-4. At one-set all, the match was well balanced and it was anybody’s game now. Curren had doggedly fought back to win the crucial second set. If Becker had won the second set, Curren would have had his task cut out. That was thankfully not the case for Curren. After winning the second set, Curren had evened the match. Curren had a slight edge at the beginning of the third set after coming back from adversity to win the second set. Curren gained in confidence after winning the second set. Curren had much more experience in professional tennis than Becker and it seemed like the seasoned veteran would now overcome the brash youngster. At the beginning of the third set, Becker served first. The third set would be a psychological test for Becker. Becker’s performance in the third set would show whether Becker could put the disappointment of the second set behind him. Becker’s camp was worried. They felt that Boris had the second set in his grasp and simply threw it away. The first six games of the set went with serve. Becker served big and volleyed well. Curren had got into his groove and was now returning Becker’s serve even better than in the second set. However, Curren was still unable to break Becker’s service game in the match. On his own serve, Curren served and volleyed well. As in the second set, Becker’s service returns and passing shots were not good enough to break Curren’s canny serve. At 3-3 in the third set, the match was evenly poised. Finally, in the seventh game of the third set, Curren returned Becker’s serves with power and accuracy to break him. Curren had broken Becker’s serve for the first time in the match. Becker was clearly perturbed and undone by the uneven bounce at the Centre Court. Two weeks of wear and tear had taken its toll on the grass courts at Wimbledon. Center Court had plenty of patches where there was hardly any grass. These brown patches of dirt made play very difficult for the players. Becker seemed to be more bothered than Curren by these rough spots. Curren now clearly had the edge in the third set and would just have to hold on to his trademark serve to win the third set. But, lo and behold, Becker breaks Curren back and makes it 4-4. Becker had other ideas when it looked like Curren would burst his bubble. The tough and resilent teenager from Germany came up with spectacular service returns and pretty passing shots to get his second service break in the match. Becker started serving better in his next two service games. Curren’s confidence had gone down a notch but he doggedly hung on to his serves. Becker’s service returns and passing shots were superb but Curren saved four set points on his service games to deny Becker a second service break in the third set. Curren made it 6-6 and took the third set to a tiebreaker. The third set tiebreaker was the second tiebreaker of the match. Becker’s screaming serves and scorching returns helped him jump to a 6-0 lead in the tiebreaker of the third set. Curren won back three points including two on Becker’s serve. It was Becker leading 6-3 in the tiebreaker. It was now Curren’s chance to serve. Curren could win the next two points on his serve and prolong the tiebreaker but Becker had other ideas. Becker hit a tremendous service return winner of his forehand wing on Curren’s first serve to clinch the tiebreaker 7-3. Becker had won the third set 7-6. He was now leading two sets to one and had an edge over Curren. Becker again tilted the match in his favor with heavy serves, stupendous service returns and passing shots that were struck like missiles. It must be mentioned that in the first three sets Becker had struck nineteen aces. Even Becker’s second serves were strong and kicked up high in the first three sets. Becker’s smashes were devastating and his diving volleys were simply a treat. Curren was having a torrid time returning Becker’s blasting serves in the first three sets. Becker was returning Curren’s first and second serves with heavy topspin and this vexed Curren. Becker’s forehand returns were on fire that day and scorched Curren. The fourth set would now start with a perplexed Curren to serve first. Curren would have to muster all his strength and guile to now salvage the match. The million-dollar question was whether Curren had it in him to rescue the fourth set from a rampaging redhead ready to flatten anything that stood in his path. The answer came quickly. In the first game of the fourth set, Becker seized on the initiative and broke Curren’s serve. This was the third time in the day that Becker had broken Curren. Becker’s swift service returns and panzer like passing shots were a bit too much for Curren to handle. Becker had gone up 1-0 in the fourth set with a break. In the next game, Becker saved two break points on his serve and held on. It was now 2-0. In the next six games, Curren tried in vain to break Becker’s swashbuckling serves. Curren managed to hold on to his serves by the skin of his teeth in the face of an onslaught of service returns and passing shots by Becker. Becker led 5-3. In the next game, on Curren’s serve, Becker had a break point. This break point was actually a match point for Becker. Becker failed to convert the match point with an erroneous backhand. Curren saved the championship point on his serve and barely held on to his service game. It was now 5-4 with Becker to serve. Becker rose to the occasion on his own serve. He fired his twenty-second ace of the match to go up to 40-15. Becker now had two championship points on his own serve to close out the match in style. At this opportune moment, Becker double faulted. It was now 40-30. On his third championship point, Becker made no mistake. Becker simply nailed down a service winner to win the fourth set 6-4. Becker had won the Wimbledon Championship match in four sets. For the Record Books: Becker had created history by becoming the first German to win Wimbledon. In addition, he was also the first unseeded player in history to win Wimbledon. He was also the youngest winner of Wimbledon at seventeen years old. At that point of time, Becker also held the record for the youngest winner of a Grand Slam tournament. Becker, who did not have a driver’s license, had created a sensation by winning the biggest championship in tennis at the tender age of seventeen. Becker’s fairytale had come true and it still seemed surreal that an unseeded teenager had lifted the trophy. Becker had upset the apple cart. Becker had defeated Curren. It was like David defeating Goliath. It was not just a special moment for Boris Becker but also for his jubilant parents, who were intently watching the match on Centre Court that day. The belief and steadfastness of Becker’s coach Gunther Bosch was vindicated. Ion Tiriac’s hard training and shrewd management had yielded dividends. To this day, Boris Becker remains the youngest winner of the Wimbledon trophy. This was Becker’s first Grand Slam. It remained to be seen whether Becker would win a second Grand Slam and disprove his detractors, who thought of him as being a one-Slam wonder.