Some accounts of the 1985 men's Wimbledon final, which took place 28 years ago today, would have you believe that at the time Boris Becker was a virtual unknown.
However, the German was ranked 20th in the world and had won at the Queen's Club in the build-up to the Grand Slam at SW19.
Having said that, he was just 17 years old and it was a competition that included names like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg and Kevin Curren. Surely he had no chance of going all the way?
With each passing round, though, Becker grew in confidence. His powerful serve and willingness to throw himself (literally) across the court made him a real favourite with the crowd.
A four-set win over Sweden's Anders Jarryd in the semis elevated Becker into the final, where he would face eighth seed Curren.
Although he had never won a Slam before, Curren was seen to be at the peak of his powers. He was 27 and having defeated both McEnroe and Connors earlier in the tournament, many felt that it was the American's time.
The first set went to Becker 6-3, though, before tie-breaks were traded to leave the teenager 2-1 up. Curren dropped serve early in the fourth set and despite gaining two break points later on, he was unable to convert them and Becker went on to become the youngest ever men's champion at Wimbledon.
What's more, he was also the first unseeded player to triumph in London, as well as it being a maiden success for a German competitor.
"This is going to change tennis in Germany," he said after the match. "I am the first Wimbledon winner and now they have an idol."
He went on to win two more times at Wimbledon, as well as adding the Aussie Open and the US Open to his collection. The French Open would always elude him, though, as he failed to get beyond the semi-final stage.
Liam Apicella
