Former world No. 1 Boris Becker recently spoke about the profound impact and unforeseen consequences of his historic 1985 Wimbledon triumph, a feat he achieved at the tender age of 17.
Becker stated that winning Wimbledon at such a young age “didn`t help me because it`s not normal in the tennis world.” He confessed, “I lost control when a whole country invaded my life. I lost control over my own life.” He experienced constant judgment for his actions, and looking back, he believes his decision to retire from professional tennis at 25 was correct. “It was too much for me; I wanted to be normal,” he revealed.
The tennis icon also mentioned the physical and mental exhaustion from playing around 75 matches per season. “It`s scary to return to Wimbledon at 18 and hear people say you won`t do it again,” Becker shared. He added that defending the Wimbledon title is “very exhausting,” as one confronts immense external pressure and internal expectations. “All of this leads to great loneliness, as you deal with the situation alone,” Becker explained during an appearance on the High Performance podcast.
