DPA
Paris
Boris Becker has invited Michael Stich to finally celebrate their Olympics tennis doubles gold from Barcelona 1992 together, which as big foes they never did at the time.
Three-time Wimbledon champion Becker said on Eurosport they were “young and stupid” at the time and in a fierce rivalry which culminated in Stich beating Becker in the 1991 Wimbledon final.
“Michael, if you are watching, we really need to catch up on the gold medal celebration,” Becker said.
Former German Davis Cup captain Niki Pilic brought the two together for an unlikely doubles pairing at the Barcelona Games where they went all the way.
“Michael Stich and I were great rivals back then, almost arch enemies,” Becker recalled.
“We didn’t speak to each other back then, we only met up for matches.
From the semi-final onwards, we realized that we could say hello, because we could win gold for Germany here.
“We were young and stupid. It wasn’t until the competition that we realized we could form a team.” Becker admitted he only grasped the significance of the Olympic gold medal much later.
“Over the years, I’ve sometimes been asked more about the Olympic victory than my Wimbledon wins,” he said.
