Official ring presentation after induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
MTTC Iphitos as the Hamburg native's sporting home
The list of successes that Michael Stich has celebrated in tennis is long. In 1991, he won against Boris Becker at Wimbledon in the singles, and in 1992 alongside John McEnroe in the doubles. That year he also won gold at the Olympic Games in doubles, followed by victory in the Davis Cup and the ATP Finals in 1993 and the World Team Cup in 1994. In total, he won 18 singles and nine doubles titles and was number two in the world rankings for 28 weeks. Plenty of reasons to induct the 55-year-old into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The final act took place today on the centre court of the BMW Open, a location Michael Stich had requested himself. The MTTC Iphitos is the Hamburg native's sporting home and it was in Munich that he laid the foundations for his career. He won the BMW Open here 30 years ago. In addition to a stylish jacket, he was presented with a customised ITHF ring, presented by his long-time companion and friend Patrik Kühnen. An emotional moment for Stich: "It's not so much about the merits, but about the history and tradition of our sport. The entire history of tennis is represented in the Hall of Fame in Newport - you won't find that anywhere else in the world and it's very special. So my motto is always: every sport is greater than every player, and that's exactly what we have to preserve."
