Tennis · 1985 · London, England
The Youngest Wimbledon Champion
An unseeded 17-year-old from West Germany wins Wimbledon, becoming the youngest men's champion in the tournament's history.
Becker def. Curren, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
Result
17 years, 227 days (record)
Age
Unseeded (first unseeded champion)
Seeding
Boris Becker arrived at the 1985 Championships unseeded and largely unknown outside tennis circles, a powerfully built 17-year-old whose game was built around a huge serve and a fearless, diving playing style that quickly became his trademark. He beat a string of higher-ranked opponents to reach the final against Kevin Curren.
Becker won the final 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, overpowering Curren with serves that the American, himself a big server, struggled to read. It made Becker the youngest men's singles champion in Wimbledon history, the first unseeded champion, and the first German winner of the title.
The win launched Becker to instant global stardom and made him a national hero in West Germany, credited with sparking a boom in the sport's popularity there that lasted through the following decade. He would go on to win Wimbledon twice more and reach world number one, but the 1985 final, and his age when he won it, remains the achievement most associated with his name.
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