"Only Steffi Graf had consoling words for me" - When Boris Becker opened up about fellow German's invaluable help after his Wimbledon heartbreak

Boris Becker once candidly recalled the essential help Steffi Graf had given him after his devastating exit from the 1987 Wimbledon Championships. The former World No. 1 also revealed how Graf's reaction stood out conspicuously among the other players.

That year, Becker entered Wimbledon as the top seed and two-time defending champion. Although he was the outright favorite to clinch his third title in a row, the German was stunned by then-World No. 70 Peter Doohan in the second round of the Major, suffering a shock 7-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss.

In his 2004 autobiography 'The Player,' Boris Becker reminisced about how Steffi Graf had made time to watch the beginning of his battle against Peter Doohan, fully believing that the German would win. When she took the court for her match and heard the loud applause from the other stadium, Graf was incorrectly convinced that the crowd was passionately cheering for her compatriot.

"Steffi, good soul, had watched parts of the first and second set before her match against Laura Gildemeister. She was sure I'd make it. She heard the noise that came from our court, across from hers and Laura’s — the applause — and she was in no doubt: 'They’re behind Boris. He’s winning.' The victor, however, was Peter, not Boris," Becker wrote.

Becker recalled that players like Stefan Edberg expressed shock at his loss while admitting that he knew not to expect any sympathy from his rivals, since they only stood to benefit from his exit. The only real consolation he got was from Steffi Graf, sharing that the emotional support she provided was extremely invaluable.

"The players — such as Edberg, who'd followed my defeat on the television in the changing room — were 'shocked.' You can’t expect sympathy in our business, however. The Becker obstacle had been cleared out of the way. Only Steffi had consoling words for me. To this day she has no idea how much she helped me," he added.

While Boris Becker crashed out of the Wimbledon Championships in the second round, Steffi Graf produced a stellar campaign to reach her maiden final at SW19. However, she failed to clinch the title as Martina Navratilova claimed a 7-5, 6-3 victory in the final to secure her sixth consecutive triumph at the grasscourt Major.

Boris Becker on his admiration for fellow German: "I’ve always rated Steffi Graf's incredible willpower, her ability to overcome her own resistance"

Boris Becker and Steffi Graf - Source: Getty

In his autobiography, Boris Becker expressed his deep admiration for Steffi Graf's "incredible" willpower and resilience. He disclosed that the 1987 Wimbledon Championships was one of the few opportunities he had to spend time in Graf's company since they mostly only saw each other at the Grand Slams.

"I’ve always rated Steffi’s incredible willpower, her ability to overcome her own resistance and to face the challenge over and over again. We saw each other mostly at the Grand Slam tournaments where both women and men played, such as Wimbledon in 1987," Becker wrote.

Becker and Graf's friendly relationship dates back a long time, since they trained together as children and even locked horns with one another. Interestingly, Graf refused to compete against her fellow German after he claimed a clinical 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win over her during a practice session.

In the same book, Boris Becker also opened up about the "deep feeling of affection" he had for Steffi Graf and said that they could both understand and empathize with the massive pressure the other was under without needing to put it into words.