This book is therefore a homage to Wimbledon. It is not without a little criticism along the way, but it is intended to be an affectionate reflection on my relationship with Wimbledon, and perhaps a little of Wimbledon’s relationship with me. And it’s not just a journalistic coincidence that it comes out at the time of the 30th anniversary of my first Wimbledon title when I was just 17. I am writing it now because I feel I have come full circle.

Since becoming the head coach to Novak Djokovic, I have returned to the Wimbledon locker room. The place that was my home away from home for so long. When Novak approached me at the end of 2013, many people questioned whether I could offer him enough to justify being the coach to one of the best players in the world. They were entitled to question whether I was the right man, but some of that debate strayed into the realms of questioning whether I really knew much about tennis, which is a bit crazy as well as insulting. The fact that, on my first visit to Wimbledon as the coach to a top-class player, he emerged with the trophy has largely silenced the doubters.

I think those critics now see that tennis in general and Wimbledon in particular is part of my DNA. When you leave so much of your soul out there as a player, there is always something you can offer. Even though it is more than 15 years since I quit as a player, I still talk about myself as a player in the present tense, because I still have the player’s mentality. That’s why I’m so comfortable back in the locker room, why I completely understand the struggles of Novak and others – after all, I had the same struggles. It feels like the more I talk about it the more it comes back. It was so much part of my life, and I think it always will be.

I hope, therefore, that this book is not just a trip down the memory lane of my Wimbledon and other experiences, but a look back at how tennis has developed over the past 30 years. In some ways tennis is better now, but in other ways it isn’t. I have my opinions, and I don’t shy away from sharing them. But sometimes all I will leave you with is material to discuss in the tennis club bar after a game, or over a drink with friends. There’s a lot to be debated in tennis on issues where there are two or three legitimate ways to go.

I was 17 when I first won Wimbledon. I’m 47 now. In the intervening years, the boy who played on aggressive instinct has become the man caring for an international patchwork family; the cheeky lad who knew no fear has become the celebrity wary of those who forever look to create the next Becker headline. And Wimbledon has evolved too – from the lovable but ‘father knows best’ tournament it was in the 1980s to the superb branded event it is today, a spectacle that has managed to keep its distinct character while constantly modernising. I’m proud that so much of my growing up has happened at Wimbledon, and I’m proud to be a part of its glorious history.

Boris Becker,
June 2015