Michael Stich and his Wimbledon victory: "I didn't start to push Boris off his pedestal"
Exactly 30 years ago Michael Stich sensationally won the German Wimbledon final against Boris Becker. Neither of them really understand the big bohei in retrospect.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit:
Jul 05, 2021, 12:49 pm
July 7, 1991 was actually the day when only Michael Stich should have been the focus of the German tennis world. On that day 30 years ago he had just won the Wimbledon final, but in the evening hours after the clear victory people talked excitedly about the loser again - a certain Boris Becker.
In the evening on Sunday of the finals, a memorable aftermath of the cup duel unfolded on the stage of the German House in Wimbledon, the meeting point for professionals, officials and journalists. A panel discussion with Stich, the champion, was scheduled, but whoever rang the doorbell saw Becker. He stood there in flip-flops and asked in like a butler - and later, for a chat with a sting, the loser of the day also served sandwiches from a silver platter. “I only noticed that he was there at the party,” says Stich, “but I didn't think about it any further. I didn't care. I would also have been happy if I had sat alone on a mountain with the trophy. "
Becker: The worst defeat was against Edberg in 1990
Stich was the first and the best on July 7, 1991. But not the man who everything revolved around, who was the focus of attention. In the end, a lot remained even after the day on which the sporting balance of power in this country was really upside down for the first time, as always - the man who didn't need headlines, no show, but basically just needed his sport, was stabbing. And Becker needed the page 1 imprints like the moth needed the light, he hated and loved his popularity back and forth. And how did he experience the day that stole his supremacy from him in Germany - exactly six years after his triumph as a 17-year-old sky striker on the sacred Center Court lawn? “That day,” he says, “played a bigger role in Germany and for the Germans than it did for me. Two Germans in the final, that was a big story. "But he was in seven Wimbledon finals, and the worst defeat was the 1990 against Stefan Edberg," I got a 2-0 set deficit, leading in the fifth set . And lost. "
What didn't change after July 7, 1991, was the relationship between the two world-class players. Or rather, the non-relationship. From then on, Stich and Becker no longer had to say to each other, they were neither close friends nor bitter enemies. They often talked about each other, but they seldom talked to each other. You can even take it from Stich when he said about that day: “I really didn't line up to knock Boris off any pedestal. I wanted to show my class, win a match. Just like against other opponents. ”The fact that he only won Wimbledon once remained a real flaw for a man like Stich, a perfect, gifted lawn player. “A win is better than no win,” says Stich. In 1993, however, he came to Wimbledon as the winner of the preparatory tournament at the Queens Club and thought, “You can all pack your bags and go home.” What happened was this: He lost to Becker in the quarter-finals.
They rarely made common cause
Stich and Becker: They met twice in the years that followed the Wimbledon final for a joint effort. The first time they competed in doubles and won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. And in 1995, when they wanted to win the Davis Cup side by side and failed dramatically in the semi-finals against Russia - Stich missed no less than nine match points in the decisive game. The biggest Davis Cup match with German participation, the final game against the USA with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, it never took place. In Moscow, the Leimen and Elmshorn stood together for the last time on a tennis court.
Like Becker, Stich resigned in 1997, and both made their intentions public at Wimbledon within 48 hours (Becker, however, then returned in 1999 for a comeback). For many years, both champions tried their hand at leading roles in the German national tennis team, but the old Davis Cup glory could no longer be conjured up. Team boss Stich failed just like team boss Becker because of the next, extremely capricious generation of heirs around Kiefer and Haas. They also did short trips on the so-called senior tour, as old men in shorts - without too much enthusiasm, however. And finally they were both active at the Hamburg Rothenbaum, as tournament organizers who wanted to save Germany's great traditional competition from falling into insignificance.
To this day, Becker has never tired of looking for the public in all kinds of characteristics and roles. He's been to Wimbledon again in the last few days - as the companion of a new lady of the heart, once again the found food for the colorful leaves. And stitch? The winner of July 7, 1991, whom the All England Lawn Tennis Club had invited for the anniversary, decided not to travel. It is not advisable to take the trip during these pandemic times, said Stich, the man who is involved as an entrepreneur in many health projects. Celebrating and remembering is not his thing anyway: "I don't live in the past."