30 years ago today: Boris Becker becomes number one in the world
No German had come that far before him - and no one else made it: On January 27, 1991 Boris Becker reached the top of the ATP world rankings for the first time.
by SID
last edit: Jan 27, 2021, 08:38 am
By this January day in 1991 Boris Becker was already a lot: three-time Wimbledon winner, plus the youngest ever. US Open champion, Davis Cup hero and responsible for the boom in what has been a rather elite sport to date. What Boris Becker was not until January 27, 1991: world number one in tennis.
Officially, that much has to be said, this only changed on January 28th, when the ATP ranking was updated on the computer. But one day before it was already clear: Boris Becker has climbed the tennis throne. Thanks to his fifth Grand Slam title, which he secured in the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne against Ivan Lendl with 1: 6, 6: 4, 6: 4, 6: 4.
Becker's permanent duel with Stefan Edberg
To this day, Becker is the only German who made it to the top. Sure: Steffi Graf stuck to first place for longer than any other player, but Michael Stich and Tommy Haas "only" made it to second place among the men. The best placement of the current hopeful Alexander Zverev is third.
Becker took a few attempts to push past Lendl or Swedes Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg. "In the end, it doesn't matter when you become number one, if you've set your sights on it. What matters is that you've achieved it. At that time, a dream came true," he says, looking back.
After only three weeks he had to hand over the top to his long-term rival Edberg, but returned to first place in 1991 - thanks to the relentless arithmetic of the computer world rankings. This time no triumph catapulted him forward, Becker ascended the throne for the second and last time after one of his bitterest defeats: on July 7th, he lost the final at Wimbledon to Michael Stich. On July 8th, however, he said hello from the top.