10 questions · Sports
Tennis history is written in rivalries and records. In 1985 a 17-year-old German named Boris Becker became the youngest-ever Wimbledon champion and set off a tennis boom at home. Three years later his compatriot Steffi Graf did something nobody else has managed: the 'Golden Slam': all four Grand Slams plus Olympic gold in 1988. Graf later married Andre Agassi, the flamboyant American of the 1990s who completed the career Grand Slam and also won Olympic gold. The rivalries came earlier, too. Björn Borg, the cool Swede nicknamed 'Iceborg', won Wimbledon five times in a row, and his 1980 final against John McEnroe, with its 18 to 16 tie-break, is still regarded as one of the greatest matches ever. Pete Sampras dominated the 1990s with serve-and-volley, held the men's record of 14 Grand Slam titles for years and said farewell by winning the 2002 US Open. On the women's side Martina Navratilova, who defected from Czechoslovakia to the USA in 1975, won Wimbledon nine times, while Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the 1973 'Battle of the Sexes', founded the WTA and fought for equal prize money. Then came a golden era. Roger Federer, the elegant Swiss with 20 Grand Slam titles and eight Wimbledon trophies, said goodbye in 2022 with an emotional doubles match alongside his great rival Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard (right-handed in everyday life but a lefty on court) won the French Open 14 times and became the 'King of Paris'. And Serena Williams collected 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the women's record of the Open Era, winning the 2017 Australian Open while already pregnant.
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Steffi Graf
She spent 377 weeks as world number one: a record among women. She retired in 1999 and later married tennis star Andre Agassi.
💡 Did you know? She is the only player to have won each of the four Grand Slams at least four times.
Roger Federer
He spent over 300 weeks as world number one and defined a golden era alongside rivals Nadal and Djokovic. He retired in 2022, bowing out with an emotional doubles match at Nadal's side.
💡 Did you know? As a teenager he was notorious for his fiery temper before becoming the very image of composure.
Rafael Nadal
In all he won 22 Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold, famed for his extreme topspin and relentless fighting spirit on every surface.
💡 Did you know? Although he plays left-handed, Nadal is right-handed in daily life: he writes with his right hand, for example.
Serena Williams
Together with her sister Venus she won many doubles titles and Olympic gold, dominating women's tennis for two decades with one of the game's most powerful serves.
💡 Did you know? She won the 2017 Australian Open while in the early stages of pregnancy.
Björn Borg
He won eleven Grand Slam titles and fought legendary duels with John McEnroe: then abruptly retired in 1983, aged just 26. His composure earned him the nickname 'Iceborg'.
💡 Did you know? His 1980 Wimbledon final against McEnroe, with an 18 to 16 tie-break, is considered one of the greatest matches ever.
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