THROWBACK VIDEO: Becker upsets Lendl in marathon 1989 Wimbledon semifinal

The 1989 Wimbledon championships was one of the most exciting in history, as it featured several thrilling matches and important keynotes in tennis history.

Not only did that year's event feature the first appearance of future champion Pete Sampras, but legends Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl were about to compete a career Grand Slam. Wilander fell to American John McEnroe in the quarterfinals, as top-seeded Lendl faced third-seeded German Boris Becker in the semifinals.

The match would end up being the longest Wimbledon semifinal in history at the time, lasting four hours and one minute. The record would eventually be broken by the 2013 semifinal encounter between Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro, which would last four hours and 43 minutes.

Nonetheless, Lendl and Becker put on a classic, as the German took the first set before Lendl fought back to acquire a two-sets-to-one lead. However, Becker maintained his composure to triumph 7-5 6-7(2) 2-6 6-4 6-3 and advance to the final. He would defeat perennial rival and defending champion Stefan Edberg 6-0 7-6(1) 6-4 to claim his third Grand Slam title.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhX0w4hWBrU[/embed]

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ATP Wimbledon

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