Boris Becker vs Mats Wilander | 1989 Davis Cup Final

Relive the 1989 Davis Cup final between Boris Becker & Mats Wilander.
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[@mezanine10]

I miss this era of tennis. No fist pumping after every point. No staring up at your box after every point. No camping on the baseline murdering the ball with top spin and grunting all match. You actually see tennis players hitting a slice and being tacticians. This is real tennis.

[@dean147uk]

I couldn't have put that better myself! 👏👏👏👏👏

[@remigiusztroc5956]

100 % agree!

[@stevenledbetter9997]

Yes, I'm so tired seeing the players coaches as much as the players. After every freaking point.

[@nxa119]

Agreed. First pumping after every point is ridiculous

[@M.EngelhART]

Wilander After The Match: " I Had The Best Place To See The Best Player In The World That Day."

[@julesverne6596]

at that time becker was the best player in the world. But it would not last long

[@M.EngelhART]

@@julesverne6596 He Had The Best And Most Complete Game Of The Era (Wilander, Lendl, Edberg ...) And Was The First, Who Played "Power Tennis".

[@ronanders735]

@@julesverne6596 It did off course .. Becker played in the toughest era of Men's Tennis. In fact, Wilander, Lendl, Edberg, Cash all played against each other and a young Sampras, Agassi, old Connors and still young McEnroe and came out winners until 1992

[@onthe4572]

@@julesverne6596 Although he wasn't actually no 1 ranked in the world, that was Lendl. But Becker was the best that year.

[@onthe4572]

Becker had an outstanding record in Davis Cup, a bit like Agassi.

[@Jaz_13-fg1bx]

Becker was lethal indoors.. Virtually unbeatable at his best

[@mddistribution30]

True. His record indoors in the 90s was 2nd only to Sampras, and only just...

[@Retsler54]

Becker was lika a combination of a ballet dancer and a BMW large truck at the same time. I would never play him, I would leave walk over and hide in fear :)

[@mddistribution30]

This was probably Becker's best year. He didn't get to no 1 but he won Wimbledon and us open, beat lendl twice at those tournaments, won the Paris masters and basically single handedly won the Davis Cup for West Germany

[@uncletony6210]

Best year but not his best tennis.

[@mddistribution30]

@uncletony6210 when was his best tennis then? What year did he play better?

[@uncletony6210]

@@mddistribution30 I would say early 95 to early 96.

[@mddistribution30]

@uncletony6210 nah don't think I agree. He had some good results in 95 and 96 but if u remember he lost in the 1st round of the Australian in 95 and lost fairly comfortably to Sampras in the Wimbledon final. He had some great years after 89 but I think he reached his prime in 89.

[@uncletony6210]

@@mddistribution30 The game, the competition, are constantly improving. For example, in 1995, Thomas Muster was asked if he had reached his pre-injury (1989) level. Muster laughed and responded that if he played in 95 the way he played in 89, he wouldn't be in the top 100 - because the game constantly improves. Patrick McEnroe, who shared that story, was in complete agreement. I think guys like Courier, Agassi, Sampras, Stich, etc., all pushed Becker to be a better player than he was in 89.

[@supertambouil]

At last ! An entire match ! Feel free to keep going on ! All 1991, 1995, 2014 Davis Cup final matches please !!!

[@humanentity2214]

Thanks for uploading this match in high quality. 👍

[@th8257]

Becker and Wilander's head to head is a bit strange. Wilander won all three of their grand slam meetings (and in straight sets) - two at the French Open and one at the Australian Open, but Becker won all 7 of their other matches.

[@mezanine10]

Same with Edberg. Becker owned him every time they played except the majors.

[@whyaskwhy000]

Same with Stefan Edberg and Becker. Becker led overall 25-10 but in Grand Slam play Edberg had a 3-1 record. These were huge matches too. Edberg beat Becker in the French Open Semi Finals in 89 and edberg’s 2 Wimbledon titles came by beating Becker in the final.

[@keithhayes844]

Wilander was never the same after his big year in 1988

[@Retsler54]

AWESOME RESOLUTION! Thank you for uploading....

[@j.jmcquade5278]

thanks for posting this. two of my top 3 growing up! loved watching this matchup with the contrasting styles. wilander heavy spin all court player with unmatched consistency, solid in all areas..............Becker with sheer firepower and a great forward game. Fun matchup to watch

[@oscardavidbenedetto4374]

Que bueno es ver Estos Partidos,de Aquellos Años,Gracias Por La Digitalisacion a Quien Sea, y a KZbin !!

[@arindamray8965]

Boris Becker - Superb all round game and tremendous power

[@einsehender7301]

Als ob es gestern gewesen sei. Stundenlang vor dem Fernseher gesessen. Ich werde jedes Mal melancholisch.

[@luperamos7307]

It was literally Becker vs Sweden. The Swedes were packed with top players. Germany only had Becker. Against Agassi in the semi he came back from a break in the third at 5-6 and two sets down to win the third at midnight on a Friday, then win the match in five on a Saturday, to then play in the doubles against the best doubles team in the world and beat them as well. Against Sweden it wasn't much different. But then he would win very little else after 1989.

[@stefanfreisberg6971]

Very little after 89? He won the Australian Open twice (91,96), played three Wimbledon finals (90,91,95), Semis at US Open and French, won the ATP Tour Finals twice (92,95) along with two more finals, Super 9 vicories in Paris and Stuttgart and a Barcelona Gold Yes that is very little. That is a HoF career alone!

[@luperamos7307]

@@stefanfreisberg6971 Those are two Grand Slam titles after 1989 in seven years! He was basically done in 1991 after his fifth Grand Slam. And what I meant to say is that Becker was at the peak in 1989 and was only 21 years old. If you had told anyone that he won four Grand Slams by the time he was 21 and would only win two more Grand Slams for the remainder of is career, nobody would have believed you.

[@th8257]

@@luperamos7307 It's notable how so many of the players of that era were basically on the way down by their mid 20s at very latest. Wilander himself pretty much disappeared after turning 24. McEnroe never won a slam after 25. Borg won his last pretty much on his 25th birthday, and Edberg was 26.

[@muhammadfindi3284]

Wilander and Becker were young and powerful. I like watching this match

[@Retsler54]

However this was late 1989 (Wilander was 25, Becker 22). I felt Wilander was "old" at the time since he had been there since -81.

[@WONGLER]

@@Retsler54 Mats lost interest and motivation for tennis after the passing away of his father

[@mrbungle7586]

Mats lost motivation after winning the US OPEN and becoming no 1 in the world. He also had shin plints. Mats wasn't known for his power, more his tennis smarts and mental toughness.

[@wreckanchor]

Excellent quality thanks

[@frommemphistomilanello5625]

I think Becker in 1989 had a chance for grand slam. In my humble opinion he would beat Chang in Paris...but it's just a personal opinion

[@stefanfreisberg6971]

Even if he beat Edberg and chang at RG, it wouldve been too late for a GS. He had already lost to Svensson in Australia. Nevertheless Boris was the strongest player in the late 80s, when he was at his best.

[@uncletony6210]

I think he would have beaten Chang easily.

[@frasermacdonald6256]

Becker on carpet what a nightmare!

[@jeffvanmeter1330]

No annoying commentators. It’s a beautiful thing.

[@BurnsTennis]

I watched the whole match, thanks for uploading. Having said that, a bit of an odd choice to upload a match where I can only assume the huge strapping on Wilander's leg made him play such a meek match. A surrender, allowing Becker to chip and charge whenever he wanted. Not much of a contest!

[@gmnboss]

Boris would chip and charge strap or not

[@user-bl1bp8gm4p]

Schön war’s damals..

[@thomaspeiker5577]

Wilander war wohl damals der schwerste Gegner überhaupt, dem Kokain nicht abgeneigt und Defensivstratege 👍 Boris hat, wie immer alles gegeben 🏆

[@M.EngelhART]

Becker und Wilander standen sich 10 mal gegenüber. 7 mal gewann der Deutsche.

[@philanthropenos1074]

McEnroe, Wilander, Becker... Twenty GSs among them and only one (Boris' 96 Aussie) was won after age of 25. On the video, the older guy Wilander is 25, younger than current Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas, and Rublev and his career was already over (After this match he wouldn't even see a QF in a GS, with the exception of 90 AO SF)

[@whyaskwhy000]

@@philanthropenos1074 or include Stefan Edberg which adds 6 more grand slam titles and 3 gS doubles. Stefan won the 1992 us open at 26

[@antonboludo8886]

What type of surface is this?

[@user-pb4zm4ir6d]

ビランデルのこのラケットカッコよかったな。ロシニョール欲しくなったの覚えてる。

[@alexlechat2074]

Rossignol f200

[@bjoernrietz6401]

1st ;) Was 11 when Boris was at his peak.

[@sashashaikh111]

Was 13

[@thebigmonstaandy6644]

@@sashashaikh111 Was 3

[@MariaAnok-nq4dv]

I tried to play with F200 Racket, Very Flexible like a Wet Noodle. Amazing How Mat Could play with the Rossignol

[@StFidjnr]

2003 Davis cup final please

[@DirkHein-kw7iq]

The Swedes.Absolute sportsmen.

[@narcyznarcyz-uv4td]

In 1988 Wilander playing RG final had all first serves in...

[@ivanrodrigo4558]

Becker seemed so comfortable in this match

[@raccoonpassion]

Check the Davis Cup matches won by Becker in his carreer, and you will be surprised !

[@brucefake2732]

This Mats was the phantom of himself if considered what he did in 1988! Anyway he got his revenge on BB in 1990 Australian Open on 3 straight sets

[@surayatimol2385]

Was this grass guys?

[@alberts2208]

Not sure why wilander chose to slice his backhand so often starting 1988. I think it got him in more trouble.

[@WONGLER]

Which racquet type of Rossignol did Mats play here ?

[@sonlampham9685]

Rossignol F200 carbon

[@eduardohuerta5460]

@@sonlampham9685 No, it's the FT560 widebody. I used to play with it.

[@bobbdenver6476]

Ball toss most underated stroke Ace city indoors

[@cjmq1970]

Wasn’t it 1988 Davis Cup?

[@rjamesyork]

No

[@massimocosma7202]

Quel becker li era fortissimo

[@preciousjey]

Boom Boom!

[@cosmojairzinho14]

Wilander counter/pusher style was absolutely ineffective against Becker all around power. He did try to hit harder , faster..or get to the net but this is was just out of his normal range...

[@nikita-dh5je]

Wilander only beat Becker 3 times out of 10, but all 3 were in Grand Slam matches.

[@svenhakk2686]

After 1988 it was no chance for Wilander. Specielly on faster surface.

[@rjamesyork]

Wilander wrecked Becker at the AO just a couple months later. It wasn’t the style that was the problem - Wilander had just lost his ability to compete consistently at a high level.

[@4rct1c9Ic3m4n]

Wilander beaten black and blue-simply outclassed

[@fededambrosio7720]

Becker ha vinto 6 tornei Slam, Wilander ne ha vinti 8.....Misteri del tennis! 🤔🤷🏼

[@overkongen34]

7. Wilander won 7 slams.

[@fededambrosio7720]

@@overkongen34 Si' e' vero, ho scritto erroneamente 8 perche' stavo pensando a Lendl! Ma il concetto rimane lo stesso, cioe': Becker era immensamente superiore a Wilander sia tecnicamente che dal punto di vista della potenza dei colpi!

[@Alessandro-1977]

Perché Wilander è stato bravo a vincere all' inizio sulla terra quando dopo il ritiro di Borg non c' era nessuno dominante sulla terra e anon sottovalutare gli ultimi AUS sull' erba che venivano snobbati da molti (e che Becker avrebbe sicuramente potuto vincere...). Becker invece ha dovuto competere contro tutti i migliori nelle diverse superfici

[@carmenbivolaru9025]

I was the first like

[@mp1314]

Whenever people start arguing about what era actually played the better tennis: That guy Wilander won three majors the year before and reached number 1. Incredible to believe with such a weak serve, no winners, mediocre technique... did Becker, Edberg and Lendl took the time off in ‘88 or how did that happen?

[@fundhund62]

So what´s mediocre about his technique? Guys like you don´t even understand what makes technique good or bad. It´s not about having a big first serve or hitting a semi-western forehand. It´s about having good timing, balance, and using the non-racket hand in an efficient way, and you can do those things well with any grip. So again.. tell us what Mats is doing wrong in your opinion? Besides that, isn´t it a little silly to judge Wilander on account of one of his weaker matches? Go and watch his 1988 performances, and then criticize him! He understood the game in a way that few players on the tour today do, and was able to play very intelligent tennis.

[@daveborder7751]

Wilander may not have had a huge serve, but he had a hugely consistent accuracy of serve, much like his all-round game-most sport is largely mental/discipline. He won more slams in the 1980's than anybody else other than Lendl who was level with him.

[@mp1314]

Calm down - „guys like you don’t understand“, is never really the start for a debate. If you know it all, then why argue with others?! What makes his technique mediocre? Have you ever looked at the swing of his backhand? Today there’s no pro with such an influent move, while Becker’s, Agassi’s or Sampras‘ technique could easily pass as timeless playbook style. I mean it’s hard to argue about technique, cause you either see it or not. People that really know tennis simply manage to see minor differences that cannot really be described - such as Edberg‘s technical forehand „problem“. Sometimes it’s ok to say: „I know it when I see it!“

[@WONGLER]

@@daveborder7751 Exactly, Mats was very strong mentally, especially in 1988, the death of his father in 89/90 was also a reason for his loss of motivation /dedication to tennis , he was much more intelligent than other players , playing music (guitar), even with own album in 1991 and many other interests, Golf,lyrics and politics , my alltime hero together with Edberg

[@suatkayatennis]

Mats Wilander was very adaptable with his tennis style, and one of the best players ever in playing the percentages to get victories over opponents. Wilander had to focus hard mentally during matches in order to play the level of tennis needed, and his cruise game wasn't particularly good. He needed that strong mental focus to play his great tennis. I think Wilander's mental strength and tactical acumen were his greatest strengths. He didn't have a lot of weapons, but the guy knew how to win a rally. Mats played chess game with his opponents!! I would hesitate to call him a pusher, even though he was defensive to be sure, because he wasn't aimlessly waiting for errors. Pushing really does disappear at the pro level, because just about any pro can put away a weak midcourt ball 9 times out of ten. There are defensive players, but they are all dangerous. McEnroe said he was the smartest player on tour. Edberg and Becker seemingly had more talent and yet Wilander ended up with more Grand Slams than either of them. One of the greatest.

[@a66789]

^

[@alexandreintouch1847]

so nice to watch a match without the usual bla bla bullshit from TV commentators ...