Match Stats/Report - Becker vs Wilander, Final Cincinnati 1985

[Waspsting]

Boris Becker beat Mats Wilander 6-4 6-2 in the Cincinnati final, 1985 on deco turf hard court surface. The tournament seems to have been called the "ATP Championship"

Becker had made a name for himself by winning Wimbledon as an unseeded 17 year old about a month ago, while Wilander was the two time defending champion

Becker won 53 points, Wilander 41

Becker serve-volleyed on all his first serve

Serve Stats
Becker...
- 1st serve percentage (28/48) 58%
- 1st serve points won (21/28) 75%
- 2nd serve points won (15/20) 75%
- Aces 11, Service Winners 2
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (20/48) 42%

Wilander...
- 1st serve percentage (26/46) 57%
- 1st serve points won (20/26) 77%
- 2nd serve points won (9/20) 45%
- Aces 3, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 0
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (12/46) 26%

Serve Pattern
Becker served...
to FH 57%
to BH 40%
to Body 2%

Wilander served...
to FH 21%
to BH 76%
to Body 2%

Return Stats
Becker made...
- 34 returns (7 FH, 27 BH)
- 8 Errors (3 FH, 5 BH), comprising. ..
- 4 Unforced (1 FH, 3 BH)
- 4 Forced (2 FH, 2 BH)
- Aced/SW'd 4 (1 FH, 3 BH)
- Return Rate (34/46) 74%

Wilander made...
- 27 returns (15 FH, 12 BH), including...
- 2 winners (1 FH, 1 BH)
- 7 Errors (5 FH, 2 BH), comprising...
- 2 Unforced (1 FH, 1 BH)
- 5 Forced (4 FH, 1 BH)
- Aced/SW'd 13 (8 FH, 5 BH)

Break Points
Becker 3/4 (3 games)
Wilander 0

Winners (including returns)
Becker 10 (2 FH, 1 BH, 5 FHV, 2 BHV)
Wilander 9 (4 FH, 4 BH 1 FHV)

- Becker had 2 passing shots (1 FH, 1 BH), both were 'sitting duck' passes

- he hit the only baseline-to-baseline winner, a powerful inside-out FH

- Wilander hit 7 passes (4 FH, 3 BH), including the previously mentioned 2 Return Winners (1 FH, 1 BH)

- The FH return pass occurred when Becker misjudged the ball and chose to let it go

- The BH return occurred off Becker's only serve-volley off a 2nd serve

- 2 FH passes were made at net

- his only non-pass groundstroke winner was a BH cc hit from just behind the service line

Errors (excluding returns and serves)
Becker made...
- 19 Errors, comprising...
- 10 Unforced (2 FH, 4 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV)
- 9 Forced (1 FH, 5 BH, 3 FHV)

Wilander made...
- 22 Errors, comprising. ..
- 9 Unforced (5 FH, 3 BH, 1 BHV)
- 13 Forced (11 BH, 2 BHV)

- One of Becker's BHV errors was hit from the back court and not a net point

- All 11 of Wilander's forced BH errors were attempted passing shots

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Becker was 25/36 at net, comprising...

- 10/16 serve-volleying (off 1st serve 10/15, off 2nd serve 0/1)

- 6/9 return-approaching, including 6/8 chip-charging

- 9/11 other approaches

Wilander was 10/15, including 2/2 serve-volleying

 

[Waspsting]

Match Report

Some say you're only as good as your second serve... and Mats Wilander would probably have agreed this day.

4 and 2 in about an hour... it looks like a thrashing. And it was but the margin for it so being was fine

1st serve percentage - Becker 58%, Wilander 57%

1st serve points won - Becker 75%, Wilander 77%

It's on second serve, where Becker did unusually well that the match was decided

Mats had dropped just one point in his first three service games (while winning 4 on Becker's) but the 7th game of the set made all that moot.

Up 30-0, Wilander missed his first serve three times in a row. Three times he directed the second to Becker's backhand. Three times Becker chip-charged to Wilander's backhand. Three times Wilander netted the attempted pass. No volley required - and that effectively, was the set

Credit to Becker for the chips - 2 of which were excellent and the other, good - but at least Wilander could have made him make a volley

Becker's volleying was a mixed bag. He made some very good ones - both deep and drops - including a half-diving one, but he also netted a few very make-able ones.

I liked what I saw from him from the baseline more. He mixed up excellent slices (including approach shots) with full blown drives on the backhand and imo got the better of the backhand exchanges.

On the forehand, Wilander clearly looked to avoid rallying. Perhaps wisely, as Becker had a significant power advantage on that side and Mats looked less secure than on the backhand

Still, Becker mostly approached and volleyed to the Swedes backhand. Successfully too

A slight oddity was how Becker did on his first serve. Of the 28 he sent down, 13 were aces/service winners and he had 5 other unreturned serves (most of which would undoubtedly been so even if Becker wasn't serve-volleying.

So he won just 2/10 when Wilander made the return. That being the case, you would expect him to struggle on his second serve - or against Wilander's second serve

He didn't - he thrived with net approaches and powerful baseline shots

Also worth noting is Boris' service action - one of my favourites. He wasn't bending his knees down to the extent he would learn to do later. Aesthetically, it wasn't as pleasing, though the cannon ball quality of it was already there

 

[KG1965]

Boris Becker beat Mats Wilander 6-4 6-2 in the Cincinnati final, 1985 on deco turf hard court surface. The tournament seems to have been called the "ATP Championship"

H2H funny between the two: Becker dominates 7-3 but Wilander nods Boris in the 3-0 slams !!!

 

[KG1965]

- 1st serve points won (21/28) 75%
- 2nd serve points won (15/20) 75%

Unstoppable

- 2nd serve points won (9/20) 45%

.. and stoppable.

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Becker was 25/36 at net,
Wilander was 10/15, including 2/2 serve-volleying

Good Wil, could dare more.

Becker fit had few rivals, IMHO almost none of the top 20 all time could beat him. Perhaps only those who possessed an adequate return.

I saw them playing so many years.
Mats gave up early, won more slams but Becker was much stronger, not stronger but a lot. Not > but >>.
I know that almost nobody agrees.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Did Wilander hit any lobs?

 

[hoodjem]

The H2H between Becker and Wilander is 7-3, in favor of Becker.

Cinci was only their second meeting. The first was at RG 1985 in the round of 64 where Wilander won in straight sets. Clay was the surface on which Wilander won two of his three victories, the third was on hard-court at the quarters of the AO in 1990, where Wilander again won in three.

But indoors or (mostly) on hard court, Becker had the advantage.

 

[Waspsting]

Did Wilander hit any lobs?

No lobs - or even attempts from either player

One shot of WIlander's I liked was an inside-out backhand. He missed both pass attempts with it (one of them was possibly a bad call) but its clearly a shot he was used to employing

I saw them playing so many years.
Mats gave up early, won more slams but Becker was much stronger, not stronger but a lot. Not > but >>.
I know that almost nobody agrees.

I saw a fair bit of Becker, never saw Wilander.

Becker was brilliant, he had it all - big serve, net play, good return, very powerful groundstrokes. I differ from most people in being more taken with his groundstrokes than net play - which just never impressed me much (having Edberg as a basis of comparison might have something to do with that)

Unlike Becker, I get the feeling Wilander's the sort of guy you'd have to watch quite a bit off to get a grasp of. Like Andy Murray maybe

 

[hoodjem]

Unlike Becker, I get the feeling Wilander's the sort of guy you'd have to watch quite a bit off to get a grasp of. Like Andy Murray maybe

Yes. Wilander is certainly not a power player (like Becker).

 

[jrepac]

Yes. Wilander is certainly not a power player (like Becker).

how does one describe Mats game? Crafty and well-rounded, perhaps? He was very canny....he could take on serve and volleyers and baseliners equally well. Very steady, decent net game, when he came forward. He could pop the serve too. I always enjoyed watching the guy. But, he always flamed out at Wimbledon, sadly. Did much better on the AO grass.