It Was 20 Years Ago Today, Boris Becker Taught the Men to Play

Boris Becker loves Wimbledon and the feeling is mutual. This year is their 20th anniversary. In 1985 he became the All England Club's youngest men's champion, aged 17 years and seven months, and its first unseeded winner.

It was not just winning that endeared him to the millions watching worldwide but the style in which he achieved it. Here was a boy who, at 30-40 down, would strike his second serve with as much power as he could muster. He left the court with bleeding knees caused by youthful leaps at the net. He was a breath of fresh air.

"The beautiful thing about being 17 is that you are really innocent and naive," said Becker. "You don't think about a whole lot of things. It doesn't faze you."

The 1985 final against the South African Kevin Curren is now a blur although memories do occasionally return. "It does seem a while ago," he said. "I have moments when it feels like more than 20 years and then I have flashbacks when it seems like last weekend."

Certain moments will always stay with him, though. "I would say the last game, the last serve, the match point, and the beginning, the walk on court. That sticks out."

But such a monumental achievement was bound to have an effect and Becker admits his philosophy had to change. "The older you get, the more you think about it and the more nervous you become," he said.

Despite the pressure Becker reached six Wimbledon finals in seven years, and another in 1995, winning twice more and earning an adoring fan base before bowing out against Pete Sampras in 1997.

The German's exploits in SW19 made him one of England's adopted sons - and again he will be commentating on television for the BBC. "I feel very much at home in England, especially in London," he said. "People are very respectful. They like me I guess.

"I go back to a place I know very well, that I'm comfortable with and people are comfortable with me. Even though I'm not English, my English gets better every year.

"It's the highlight of the year, those three or four weeks. It's been like that for most of my life. It's something very natural for me, something very exciting and I look forward to it."

Now Becker is giving something back. The 37-year-old has been working alongside Tim Henman as part of an initiative sponsored by Ariel to find the next generation of British talent and feels it is never too early to work players hard.

"You have to make a decision on what you want," he said. "If you want good athletes, they have to start young. In football you have [Wayne] Rooney. Nobody's talking about the fact he's 19 and he's too young. He's not too young.

"The same attitude has to be in tennis. The fact that [Andrew] Murray went to Spain when he was 14 was a very good sign that he's motivated. He's hungry. When you are out on court, age does not matter."

Becker is hoping a similar mentality emerges in Germany. His father, an architect, built a tennis centre near the Becker home in Leimen but opportunities for younger players are still limited. "The federation had some trouble financially," he said. "We need sponsors to put money in."

"We don't have an 18-year-old at the moment that stands out," he added. "It's disappointing. Michael Stich and myself left a bit of heritage."

It is a heritage that is cherished at Wimbledon. Finding another teenager like Boris Becker will not be easy.