Boris Becker is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
The German burst onto the scene at the 1985 Wimbledon championships, where he became the youngest player to win the men’s singles title aged 17; a record that still remains today.
After that, Becker went on to secure another five Grand Slam singles crowns and a total of 13 Masters trophies.
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He also captured an Olympic gold medal in doubles during the 1992 games, and led Germany to two Davis Cup titles.
Becker turned professional in 1984 under the wing of former French Open doubles champion Ion Tiriac, who did not have the greatest first impression of the eventual legend at first.
Ion Tiriac reflects on seeing Boris Becker for the first time
Speaking in an episode of Feli’s Room, Tiriac said: “I wasn’t interested [In coaching again after being with Guillermo Vilas].
“I had already spent 11 years with Vilas, and I was tired. It wasn’t easy with Vilas, having to find several players every day to train with him. I didn’t want any more. But then I saw Becker.
“He was 13 or 14 years old and moved like my grandmother. He was heavy in the legs, couldn’t run, but he had blood on his knees, blood on his elbow… he would throw himself everywhere. Is this kid normal?
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“So I watched him another day, and another day, and he struck the ball incredibly. Building legs is easy because that’s something you can train, so I put him with Vilas for a month, and Becker devoured him.
“Hours and hours and hours until he almost broke his shoulder, his elbow… He wasn’t crying, but almost. He devoured him.”
Ion Tiriac says Guillermo Vilas is the greatest player of all time
As well as Becker, Tiriac was the coach of four-time Grand Slam champion Guillermo Vilas, who he thinks is the greatest of all time.
Tiriac said: “For me, Vilas is the greatest player of all time because he had no talent—zero talent.
“Vilas used to train eight hours a day. Every single day, he trained eight hours. I take my hat off to him. He’s a sensational guy, a terrific person in every respect.
“He had work ethic, willpower, heart, and also his mind. You can compare him to Thomas Muster, another great worker.”
Vilas won two Australian Opens, a Roland Garros title and a US Open crown, but never triumphed at Wimbledon.
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