Becker beats Stich in nostalgic reunion

Boris Becker beat his long-time rival Michael Stich in an exhibition match between the two retired German tennis greats before a sell-out crowd and national television audience on Sunday.

The three-time Wimbledon champion Becker, 34, defeated 33-year-old Stich, who was long his most bitter rival and upset him in the 1991 Wimbledon final, 7-5, 6-4 in one hour 25 minutes before 7,000 Berlin spectators.

In the nostalgic match, both players showed flashes of the skills that helped make tennis a celebrated sport in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s, but also lots of rustiness -- and almost none of the speed that once made them so dangerous on court.

"Boris was just a little bit too fast for me today," said Stich, who retired five years ago and had not picked up a tennis racket until two months ago to prepare for the match.

"Everything felt a little slower than it used to be.

"But it was tremendous fun and there's nothing better than playing a good match in front of a big crowd," added Stich, who had beaten Becker in only four of their eight encounters yet devastated him with the victory in that 1991 Wimbledon final.

Becker, whose life has been plagued by troubles off the court since he retired three years ago, was clearly better prepared and seemed to take the contest far more seriously.

Wearing a grimace on his face for most of the match, he jumped into a 2-0 lead and was never seriously challenged after that in the first set.

The second set was even more lopsided and degenerated into a farce at times with the players clowning around with each other and the referee. Becker and Stich grabbed the referee's shoes after one call and in mock anger tossed them into the crowd.

"Michael hasn't played for five years but he still had his great technique today after just a few months of practice," said Becker. "He played great today."

MEASURE OF REVENGE

The two had last met in a tournament in Vienna in 1996, which Becker won in three sets. He got a measure of revenge on Stich for his heartbreaking 1991 defeat by beating Stich in the Wimbledon quarter-finals two years later in five sets.

Becker, always the more flamboyant, and Stich, considered dark and moody by German fans, were never close off the court.

Becker triggered a boom in the sport with his upset Wimbledon title in 1995 when he became the youngest Wimbledon men's champion aged 17 years and seven months.

The former world number one seemed to be forever angry at Stich for denying him his fourth Wimbledon title in 1991.

Their rivalry during the heyday of tennis in Germany also split the country into "Becker fans" and "Stich followers".

The pair managed to put their "cold war" aside to team up to win the doubles gold medal for Germany at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. They constantly "high-fived" each other, banged chests on big points and embraced warmly after each win.

But the chill returned shortly after that.

"The matches against Michael were always something special," Becker said.

Stich, captain of Germany's Davis Cup team, said he agreed to play the match to help promote tennis in Germany, which has been in a slump since he, Becker and Steffi Graf retired.

Becker appeared to be only joking when he said he hoped Stich would now nominate him for a slot on a doubles team for upcoming Davis Cup matches. Stich politely declined.

Despite the good-humoured nature of the match, the old rivalry emerged afterwards. When asked if the match counts on the 8-4 career lead Becker holds, he replied: "You'll have to ask Michael that."

Stich, standing next to Becker, said: "What a ridiculous question."