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The Player. Boris Becker with Robert Lbenoff and Helmut Sorge Paperback – January 1, 2011

by Boris Becker (Author), Helmut Sorge (Author), Robert Lbenoff (Author)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 108 ratings
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In this frank, tell-all autobiography, the German tennis genius reveals the highs and lows of his life both on and off the court.

Boris Becker shot to fame in 1985 when, at the age of seventeen, he became the youngest player to win the men’s final at Wimbledon. He went on to win two more Wimbledon titles, and a total of forty-nine singles and fifteen double crowns, making him one of the greatest players of the twentieth century. But his life off the court has always attracted as much attention as his triumphs on it.

Now, in this remarkably candid autobiography, Boris Becker tells the real story behind the headlines. He speaks of the seconds before the serve that made him the youngest Wimbledon winner of all time, and of the minutes after being sentenced as a tax evader. He talks about his marriage, his illegitimate daughter, and his painful divorce. He reveals his emotions at the end of his tennis career, and his battles with pills and alcohol. He also shares his memories of the good times, the championship wins, the make-or-break matches, and the highs and lows of life on the international circuit.

Boris Becker has written this autobiography not just for his fans but also for his children, that they may one day read the true account of their father’s remarkable and often controversial life.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bantam
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.83 x 7.8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0857500279
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0857500274
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam (January 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0857500279
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0857500274
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.83 x 7.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 108 ratings

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Boris Becker

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Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
108 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

VIJAY JOSHI
3.0 out of 5 stars Average Book. Instead I would strongly recommend "Boris Becker's Wimbledon" published in 2015
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2021
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I would rate it as average - 2.5 Stars.
First half was interesting as it mainly dealt with tennis but most of the last half had lot of personal details(2 chapters on divorce proceedings) and stuff not related to tennis.
I would strongly recommend his more recent autobiography published in 2015 - "Boris Becker's Wimbledon" which is more concise and interesting.
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4.0 out of 5 stars It was okay if you're a fan
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2014
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I would've preferred to give three and a half stars but nvm, well worth a read if you're a fan, I always wanted to hear his own point of view.

It doesn't appear to be too ghost written and though the tennis is featured, it's not just about tennis, and that's inevitable. We all know Becker's physical tennis style - it was often the things happening off the court that threatened his place in the game and could well have distracted him. It's obvious that Boris has had many highs and lows, very early fame and success that he struggled to deal with, as he was suddenly thrust into the public eye. He overcame that to sustain a long and illustrious tennis career at a time the game was undergoing some key transitions which he describes well - the context of someone who witnessed and was at the middle of the change of a tennis era.

If there is anyone who bridged those two eras, it was Becker. Despite his serve dominant game, he was always entertaining to watch. And he makes a good point - at a time when most sports are being dogged and threatened by drug scandals and cheating, tennis remains a relatively untainted, predominantly skill based game, equal parts mental, emotional and physical. The main cloud over it at present is the increased commercialism and exploitation of the sport. Fair enough - professional top players deserve remuneration but at what point does it become more about the money than the game?

Boris is a contradiction - swinging between tightly controlled discipline, and extreme passion/drama; self assuredness and then self doubt/loathing. It is those shades that made him an interesting player and individual. His feelings towards his homeland veer from pride, affection and sentiment; to some disappointment, frustration and bitterness.

His accounts of meeting other great, legendary figures - sporting and political - leave a lasting impression and have obviously helped put priorities and his own position in perspective for Becker. As did fatherhood.

We watched him transform from boy wunderkind of Germany, forced to represent a nations hopes and pride, to becoming a grown man in his own right with family and business responsibilities. Flawed but surviving when others may have been broken by the pressure. It is sad that his marriage to Barbara became a casualty and ended so messily, but that's life that intrudes - the book was written some time ago however and I think that since then both have been able to move on. Becker is now on the sidelines of tennis but it's cool too see him involving himself once again, through coaching and commentary - all the best to him.
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pbusharizi
5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing insight into the mind of a champion
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2014
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While we watched this champion burst upon the scene, pursue his career with dogged determination and eventually bow out on tennis' greatest stage it was easy to forget he was a young man growing up in full public glare. We know all about the tennis but next to nothing about the boy wonder who grew into a man. A fantastic account from the horse's mouth which an intriguing layer to the man we knew as Boom Boom Becker!
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Jayakumar Unnikrishnan
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice read
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2010
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This book is a good read. This is how an autobiography for a sportsperson should be written - AFTER he/she retires. Most people just write it in the middle of their careers and leaves the story ...well half finished. Boris does provide some honest insight into his life in this book more than his sport which is an interesting choice as one would expect sports to dominate most of the content. Every boom - boom fan should get hold of this one to get to know his life through his eyes first hand. Highly recommended.
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Rick Spell
4.0 out of 5 stars Boris Becker the Intellectual
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2010
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Boris Becker is the epitome of an attacking tennis player bursting onto the grounds of Wimbledon at 17. He really was the transitional player who, with Stefan Edberg, ended the Ivan Lendl dominance bridging the gap to the Agassi/Sampras generation. But instead of being a superb athlete, Boris was a deep thinker with many other goals in his life and this book reflects as much on his complicated personal life as it does his tennis career. You could say that Boris was almost embarrassed or bored with his tennis career. He understood that life was so much more, intellectually and personally.

If regular life were only so simple. Of course not all of the public will get a hostess pregnant on a "chance" one-time meeting. Complications ensue capped by his income tax evasion trial. Through this Becker maintains his dignity although somewhat bruised.

Becker is a complicated man and this book does a great job of portraying the true Becker. If you want a tennis book only, read Patrick McEnroe's new book or step back to Pete Sampras' book. This is more about knowing and understanding the unique and talented Mr. Becker.
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Kathleen Kelley
5.0 out of 5 stars I like to read autobiographies/biographies of people I know nothing about
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016
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Very interesting life. I am not a tennis fan. I like to read autobiographies/biographies of people I know nothing about. The biography I read before this one was of Clementine Churchill. There is a trend with movie star biographies. Their lives are interesting up until they become famous. Then all they do is work.
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D in NJ
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2022
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What should be a great story about an interesting sports figure is poorly written. The paragraphs were choppy, basic grammar and sentence construction made the story so difficult to read.
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Von Strobel
2.0 out of 5 stars Was ist das?
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2018
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This autobiogtaphy seems more directed towards a German audience. Boris' recollection of his first Wimbledon title at age 17 is noteworthy; however, his narrative about the rest of his life jumps aroumd too much.
Appatently, he had contentious breakups with coaches, a bitter divorce and a run in with German tax authorities.
It reads as his side of dated gossip articles in the German press.
In the end, book is vapid and unfulfilling.
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Mr S J
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2021
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Great read, interesting life outside tennis. Would recommend whether interested in tennis or not. The guys had an interesting life
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Avinash
4.0 out of 5 stars A trip down memory lane
Reviewed in India on February 22, 2018
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Boris Becker has always been my favorite tennis player. Those childhood days of following Becker and Steffi Graf, that too, in the non internet days, were the best days of my life. So, have always been curious about what is this guy made of - A champion tennis player, a polarizing personality in his home country Germany, a womanizer, a family man, a tax evader, a multi millionaire? It was wonderful to get a glimpse of his mind through this autobiography. He has been quite honest and hasn't shied away from talking about the controversial parts of his life. Enjoyed reading this one, though I wish he had talked more in detail about how it was to play those 7 Wimbledon finals.
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VERONICA CIRELLI
4.0 out of 5 stars A STORY FROM THE HEART
Reviewed in Italy on June 22, 2014
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Very pleasant reading, a human player describes it all through pains, joys,defeats and sorrow.
Not as engaging as OPEN but a good insight of this controversial player
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Jörg Franzen
5.0 out of 5 stars Klasse
Reviewed in Germany on October 31, 2013
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Wer an Boris als Person Interesse hat und seine Karriere verfolgt hat, der findet hier eine prima lesbare Lektüre vor
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Stefcuv
3.0 out of 5 stars Pas si mal
Reviewed in France on September 19, 2012
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Livre plutot honnetement écrit et pas mal détaillé sur la vie de ce très grand joueur.

Becker apparait comme un homme dur, centré sur lui même, difficile a vivre et qui dans ce livre s'arrange pour se chercher beaucoup d'excuses et se présenter sous un jour plutot avantageux. Néanmoins Boris nous livre beaucoup de ses failles, de ses erreurs, de ses manquements, de ses galères et apparait tout simplement très humain. Difficile exercice de coucher sur le papier avec une complète honneteté les cadavres que l'on cache dans le placard.

A la lecture de ce livre, on a l'impression que Boris s'est fait fortement violence pour essayer de raconter la vérité mais n'a de toute evidence pas encore laissé tomber les barrières mentales qui le laisserait dire la vérité et rien que la vérité.On ne peut néanmoins pas le blamer d'avoir essayer de nous emmener aussi loin qu'il le pouvait dans l'exercice catartique.

Lecture conseillée donc pour connaitre mieux ce personnage qui apparaissait comme titanesque sur le court et en fait si fragile. On en peut nier tout de même que l'on ressent un gout de trop peu. Autre regret : Boris ne nous emmene que trop succintement dans ses plus grandes rencontres et n'arrive pas, à la manière d'un André Agassi dans Open, à nous faire rentrer de plein pieds dans les plus grandes rencontres de sa carrière.
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