Michael Stich: The Desire to Improve
Listen now
Description
Over the course of a year during 1990-91, Michael Stich went from being the 400th ranked player in the world to sitting inside the top 10, and winning Wimbledon. It was a steep and relatively quick ascent for a player who called himself a "terrible" juniors player. But for Stich, he credits his immense love for the sport as the reason he chose to continue, and make a career of tennis. Family is a key factor in Stich's development, and he is quick to thank his parents for letting him try to live his dream - and also put him in his place when needed. Before winning Wimbledon in 1991, he had only captured one previous title on the ATP Tour, but Stich was uniquely prepared for the championship match. He details how he attacked it as any other match, despite playing countryman Boris Becker, his memories of meeting his heroes after and how he was ready for the next stage of his career. Stich was a proud competitor for Germany alongside legends in Davis Cup, Hopman Cup, and the Olympics and won 16 more titles before retiring in 1997. Michael Stich is a Wimbledon champion in singles and doubles, Davis Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist in doubles. He reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 2 in the world, finishing his career with 18 titles and finals appearances at both Roland-Garros and the US Open. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2018.
More Episodes
It's a special edition of the TennisWorthy Podcast, today from Newport, Rhode Island on Induction Day. Host Brett Haber sat down with a trio of Hall of Famers: Kim Clijsters, Tracy Austin and Stan Smith. They reminisced about their own inductions, shared their fond thoughts on the Class of 2024 -...
Published 07/21/24
Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini was a rising star as a junior, and she lived up to her early expectations. After becoming the youngest player to ever win the Orange Bowl (at age 13), she reached the semifinals of the French Open and the top 10 of the WTA rankings two years later. It wasn't all...
Published 05/28/24
Published 05/28/24