Kevin Curren: 1985 Wimbledon Defeat by Boris Becker a Special Not Bitter Memory

In the 30 years since Boris Becker and Kevin Curren clashed for the Wimbledon title, the two men have met on numerous occasions, often at the All England Club. Each time, the German cannot help himself from reminding his foe turned friend of their special connection. "He always has a little dig at me about it," said Curren, with a laugh. "But it's been a very special part of my life and the greatest tournament in tennis. I'm very grateful for the experiences I've had." (Nadal Seeded 10th at Wimbledon)

It is rare for one match to be such a defining moment in the careers of two players - the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe Wimbledon final of 1980 is perhaps another - but their 1985 final was just that. For Becker, it was the first of three Wimbledon victories, the beginning of his love for the place and the Centre Court he called his living room. For Curren, it was the closest he came to a grand slam singles title, an agonising defeat, but a blow that time has softened. (Boris Becker Making Wimbledon Waves, 30 Years on)

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Memories of Becker's winning moment, the shuffle of the feet and both arms stretched to the skies, is as fresh as almost anything that happened at Wimbledon before or since. Having double-faulted on his first match point, the 17-year-old fired down another enormous serve that Curren only got a nick on, making the German the first unseeded champion and the youngest winner of the men's singles, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. "You're as excited as you can be on the tennis court," said Becker, dressed in a pinstripe suit as he cast his mind back. "That's what I felt."

It seems barely believable now, in an era when the top players are nearer 30 than 20, to think that a 17-year-old could win Wimbledon. Becker thinks it is still possible physically but unlikely mentally. Few people thought it would happen in 1985, apart from the South African Johan Kriek, whose words after losing to Becker in the final at Queen's Club a week before Wimbledon began turned out to be spot on. "If he plays like that, he'll win Wimbledon", he said.

Curren believed he was going to win himself, as did many experts. This, after all, was a man who had wiped John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors off the court in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, without losing a set. Curren thought the teenager would crack under the pressure. With his huge serve working smoothly, he was confident and relaxed. So relaxed that he went to a Bruce Springsteen concert the night before the final. "You may laugh but it was unbelievable," said Curren, who admits now it was a bit "insane". "It was phenomenal. It was just a small thing but it wasn't like me because I wasn't a big concert-goer. But he was the man right then."

Becker was unaware of his opponent's trip. "Really?" he said. "Maybe it relaxed him." The German had not had time to get too nervous, having completed a rain-delayed victory over the Swede, Anders Jarryd in the semi-finals on the Saturday morning. "I think it worked in my favour, since the Saturday was quick, that I didn't have too much time to think about the consequences," said Becker. "It was still the semi-finals, playing Saturday morning, still a little bit tired, so it worked in my favour that my mind was preoccupied."

In the final, he won the first set but Curren hit back to level before breaking early in the third set. It was then he thought Becker would fall away, that the pressure of the final would get to the younger man. The opposite happened. "It was my trademark, to fight," Becker said. "Then the tie-breaker really settled the match." One break of serve in the fourth was enough for Becker to serve out for the biggest win of his life.

"People said: 'how could such a young guy win?'" Curren said. "But there were two guys I played against that the bigger occasion, the better they played - McEnroe and Becker. It seemed like if they were really put on the spotlight, they played for their life. They enjoyed it, looked forward to it. [Becker] had it at a very young age, it was just unfortunate that I ran into him in that final match. Then he reinforced it the following year, beating [Ivan] Lendl in the final, so the guy was not your normal 17-year-old, he was more like a 25-year-old in mindset and he had a big artillery."

It was only when he was reflecting on the final for his recently released book Boris Becker's Wimbledon that the German really thought in detail about 1985 but it is still surprising that he says he has not watched the match back in full. Curren has, on more than one occasion, a fact that made Becker laugh heartily. "Never, never," he said. "Maybe the match point or one or two points but I've never seen the whole match."

Victory changed Becker's life and German tennis. His return to his home town of Leimen after Wimbledon was, he said, "like the Pope coming to town". The South African Curren, who became a US citizen in April 1985, may have lost but he is far from bitter. "It could have gone either way," he said. "In the third set, I remember I was livid that I was on top of him and ready to put him away. It was an opportunity but when I analyse it all, I had an amazing tournament and Wimbledon was good to me for many, many years."