For his 57th birthday: The Boris Becker ABC

Boris Becker turned 57 years old on November 22. Born in Leimen, he has written German and international sporting history. To mark his birthday, we present the Boris Becker ABC. Everything you need to know about the German, summarized in 26 keywords from A to Z.

Becker won the Australian Open twice: in 1991 and 1996, and was also crowned number one in the ATP rankings for the first time when he beat Ivan Lendl in the 1991 final. In 1997, Becker was the only male defending champion to be eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open. Becker was defeated in five sets by the eventual finalist Carlos Moya.

Becker was nicknamed "Bum Bum Boris" because of his strong serve. Did you know that the legendary "Bum Bum" ice cream from the Schöller brand was inspired by Becker? In 1986, the vanilla and strawberry ice cream with a red sugar coating and a sugar-free chewing gum stick was launched on the market. The "Bum Bum" ice cream is intended to resemble a tennis racket. Becker's nickname is also part of two songs.

In the 1990s, the highly remunerated Compaq Grand Slam Cup was held in Munich for ten years - a tournament worth millions without much sporting value. The event was developed by Becker's former manager Alexander Meyer-Wölden, among others. Becker competed for the first time in 1993. Three years later, he won in Munich. He collected almost two million dollars for winning the tournament, the last of his career. In comparison: for the Australian Open title in the same year, he "only" received 410,000 dollars.

"Mister Davis Cup": that's what you could call Becker. Only two players have won against the German in Davis Cup singles: the Spaniard Sergio Casal twice (1985, 1987) and the Dutchman Paul Haarhuis once (1995). Overall, Becker has an outstanding Davis Cup singles record of 38 wins and only three defeats. Becker led the German team to its first Davis Cup title in 1988. The following year, he succeeded in defending the title. The "Davis Cup Battle of Hartford" in July 1987, when Becker & Co. defeated the USA and John McEnroe, is unforgettable. "Davis Cup, playing for your own country. That was my top priority for a long time," Becker once said.

While we're on the subject of the Davis Cup: Becker formed a congenial doubles team with Eric Jelen. The two won some dramatic matches against world-class doubles players. In Gothenburg in 1988, they won the third and decisive point for the first German Davis Cup title. A year later, Becker/Jelen laid the foundation for the title defense with another doubles victory against Sweden. Afterwards, Becker praised his better half: "Without Eric, we would never have won the cup twice."

Becker is one of many unfinished Grand Slam winners and narrowly missed out on the "Career Grand Slam". This was due to the French Open, which the German was never able to win. He took part in Roland Garros nine times, reaching the semi-finals three times. Becker shares this fate with Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg and Jimmy Connors - they all never won the French Open.

Becker's career is closely linked to the name Günther Bosch. Born in Romania, he is regarded as his discoverer and led him to two Wimbledon victories. They separated in 1987. The two have had no contact since then. "I need a coach who doesn't look after me day and night," Becker explained at the time. Bosch, on the other hand, said almost 30 years later that the break-up was his fault.

Inimitable, unmistakable, always a delight: we are talking about the Becker pike. The flying reel at the net has become world famous and is still closely associated with the name Becker. Fancy a few highlights? Here you go!

49 tournament victories, including six Grand Slam titles, number one in the world, two Davis Cup titles, Olympic gold in doubles. Becker has had a unique career. Consequently, in 2003 he was the second German player to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport.

"I'm making s*** up. Over, over, over. I play my worst tennis in the Wimbledon final. I don't like it anymore." Scenes from the 1991 German Wimbledon final between Becker and Michael Stich. Becker always shared his emotions with the spectators - whether it was joy or irascibility when things didn't go so well. Matches with Becker were emotional rollercoaster rides.

In 1997, after losing the quarter-finals at Wimbledon to Pete Sampras, Becker declared that it would be his last match at a Grand Slam tournament. He wanted to round off his career with a few ATP tournaments. But Becker couldn't let it go and took part in Wimbledon one more time in 1999. The outright defeat in the round of 16 against Patrick Rafter was the last singles match of his career.

Becker has made his birthplace and hometown of Leimen world-famous. For most Germans, the small town (population approx. 27,000) near Heidelberg is still a household name today thanks to his successes. Becker will always remain the eternal "17-year-old Leimener".

Becker left his mark on the season finale, then known as the Masters or ATP World Championships. He took part in the Masters eleven times, reached the final seven times and won the tournament three times - in 1988, 1992 and 1995. His first title in Madison Square Garden is legendary, when the edge of the net came to his aid on match point in the fifth set tie-break against Ivan Lendl in the final.

It took a long time for Becker to become number one in the world for the first time. After his fifth Grand Slam title, at the Australian Open in 1991, the time had finally come. Becker ascended the tennis throne and remained there for a total of twelve weeks that year (three weeks after the Australian Open, nine weeks after Wimbledon).

Becker only took part in the Olympic tennis tournament once - in 1992 in Barcelona. While he was eliminated in the second round of the singles, he hit the jackpot in the doubles - together with his arch-rival. Together with Michael Stich, he won the gold medal after dramatic victories. Davis Cup captain Niki Pilic acted as mediator in the partnership of convenience. "My relationship with the Olympics is golden," said Becker after the triumph. Becker wanted to celebrate the gold medal extensively, but Stich left the same evening. A decision that Stich regretted afterwards.

Alongside tennis, poker is Becker's great passion. "Everyone needs their oasis, for me it's the poker table. Poker gives me the feelings that I used to have on the tennis court. A royal flush gives me a high." However, Becker has not yet had resounding success at the poker table, winning millions.

The grass court tournament at London's Queen's Club was one of Becker's favorite tournaments. He triumphed here a total of four times and won his first ATP title as a 17-year-old in July 1985, before going on to triumph at Wimbledon.

During his active career, Becker held many records that have stood the test of time or still do. The German won a total of ten times after trailing 0:2 in sets, making him the joint record holder with Aaron Krickstein and Roger Federer. He also won 19 times against the current world number one. Becker is still the youngest player to win a match in a Davis Cup final, even winning both singles matches in 1985. He also triumphed in three tournaments on three different continents in the space of 14 days. Between October 19 and November 2, 1986, he won the tournaments in Sydney, Tokyo and Paris-Bercy. And of course: at 17 years and 227 days old, he is the youngest Wimbledon winner to date.

It's hard to imagine, but Becker has never won an ATP title on clay in his career. Each of his 61 clay court tournaments on the ATP Tour ended in defeat. Six times he came very close to winning a title on clay in the final. It was very close in Monte Carlo in 1995, when he had two match points in a dramatic final against Thomas Muster and missed one of them with a double fault. "Heaven only knows why I never won a clay court tournament in my career," Becker summed up in his biography.

Becker was ridiculed by many when it was announced in December 2013 that he was to become Novac Djokovic's coach. After three years working with the "Djoker", one thing remains clear: Under Becker's influence, Djokovic has taken his game to a new level. He won 25 tournaments with Becker, including six Grand Slam titles; he was the clear number one in the world for over two years. These figures speak for themselves.

1989 was Becker's finest hour at the US Open. He won the final against Ivan Lendl. In the second round against Derrick Rostagno, he was on the brink of elimination. With luck and skill, Becker fended off two match points and eventually played his way to victory.

Becker is still in demand for advertising today. His most famous commercial was certainly the one for the internet company AOL. His phrases "Am I in there yet or what?" and "I'm already in there" have become catchphrases. The AOL commercial with Becker as a visionary is cult.

"Wimbledon is like my second birthplace. I remember the match point in the 1985 final very clearly. I remember thinking that something had changed. I didn't know what it was, but I had the clear feeling that something had changed dramatically. I became the public Boris Becker." Center Court at Wimbledon was like "his living room" for Becker. On July 7, 1985, he made tennis history and became the first unseeded and youngest Wimbledon winner of all time at the age of 17 years and 227 days. Becker reached the final seven times, just as often as Pete Sampras. However, he only won three finals, in 1985, 1986 and 1989. His most bitter defeat in the final was certainly against Michael Stich in 1991.

Becker played numerous epic matches in his career that lasted well over four hours. Most tennis fans will certainly remember the 1986 Davis Cup singles match against John McEnroe, when he won the "Battle of Hartford" after 6:21 hours of play. At the 1991 Australian Open, he won in the third round against the Italian Omar Camporese in a heat battle after 5:11 hours. Or the memorable 1988 Masters final against Ivan Lendl, which ended after 4:42 hours with the famous net roller.

Becker didn't play for too long as a junior and turned professional early on. His success proved him right. At the 1983 junior Wimbledon tournament, he met Stefan Edberg in the first round - and clearly lost. The two later fought each other in three Wimbledon finals. Becker's greatest success as a junior: reaching the final of the 1984 US Open.

"If I don't lose, the other person can't win." Or: "Winning is an incredible pleasure. A woman can't give you that satisfaction." Or: "In the first three years, I lived mainly from talent and didn't learn much." Becker has given numerous amusing quotes and catchphrases. Many a slip of the tongue like this one was also included. He captured a period of time so zeitgeist.