Graf, Becker, Kerber and Zverev – the most successful Germans

Graf, Becker, Kerber and Zverev – the most successful Germans

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Who is number one? The ten most successful German tennis players


November 21, 2024 – 11:32 a.mReading time: 4 min.

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Steffi Graf: She won gold at the 1988 Olympic Games and thus secured the “Golden Slam”. (Source: imago sportfotodienst/imago-images-bilder)

The German tennis team is in the semifinals of the Davis Cup even without Alexander Zverev. He is one of the most successful German players – among a number of big names.

Alexander Zverev won the first Olympic individual gold for Germany in tennis in Tokyo 2021. A success that Steffi Graf achieved in 1988. She even managed the so-called “Golden Slam” back then. She won all four Grand Slam tournaments of the year – the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open – and was also able to win the Olympics. A triumph that no other player apart from her has achieved.

No wonder that Graf and Zverev, who has not yet won a Grand Slam tournament, are in the list of the ten most successful German tennis players. t-online has created a list of the ten best German tennis aces.

Every German tennis fan knows her: Steffi Graf. She dominated women’s tennis in the 1980s and 1990s – in Germany and worldwide. The Mannheim native won a total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven at Wimbledon, six at the French Open, five at the US Open and four at the Australian Open. In 1988, as described above, she became the only player in history to reach the “Golden Slam” by winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. Graf led the world rankings for a total of 377 weeks, a record in women’s tennis.

Many German tennis fans still remember Boris Becker’s day well: in 1985, at the age of 17, he became the youngest Wimbledon winner and drew the Germans in front of the TV screen. Becker, who now works as a TV expert, won a total of six Grand Slam singles titles: Wimbledon three times, the Australian Open twice and the US Open once. He was known for his powerful serve and aggressive game. Becker led the German Davis Cup team to victories in 1988 and 1989.

At the Olympic Games in Paris, Angelique Kerber did everything she could to delay the end of her career for as long as possible and once again thrilled the tennis nation in her final matches. She won three Grand Slam titles: the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016, and Wimbledon in 2018. She reached world number one in 2016, becoming the first German since Steffi Graf to hold this position. Kerber also won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In Paris she made it to the quarterfinals.

German tennis fans will not forget the year 1991 because of Michael Stich. He won the singles at Wimbledon. But that’s not all: he reached the final of the US Open in 1994. Together with Boris Becker he secured the Olympic gold medal in doubles in 1992. Stich reached number 2 in the world rankings in 1993 and won a total of 18 individual titles. He received numerous awards, such as the Silver Laurel Leaf (1992) and the Federal Cross of Merit (2008).

Although she was in the shadow of Steffi Graf and Boris Becker, Anke Huber also knew how to convince even German tennis fans. She reached the final of the Australian Open in 1996 and reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 1995. In 1996 she was number four in the world rankings. She won a total of 12 WTA singles titles. Huber was a constant force in German women’s tennis in the 1990s.

He started playing tennis at the age of four and made it to the top in the world: Tommy Haas. The Hamburg native reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2002 and reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2009. He won a total of 15 ATP singles titles and reached number 2 in the world rankings in 2002. Haas won the silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

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