Menu
Home Explore People Places Arts History Plants & Animals Science Life & Culture Technology
On this page
Michael Stich
German tennis player

Michael Detlef Stich is a German former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in 1993, and No. 9 in men's doubles, achieved in 1991. Stich won 18 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the 1991 Wimbledon Championships, as well as the 1993 ATP Tour World Championships and the 1992 Grand Slam Cup. He also won ten doubles titles, including the men's doubles title at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships, partnering John McEnroe, and the gold medal in men's doubles 1992 Barcelona Olympics, partnering Boris Becker. Stich was part of the victorious German team at the 1993 Davis Cup, and was also the singles runner-up at the 1994 US Open and the 1996 French Open.

Related Image Collections Add Image
Profiles
1 Image
We don't have any YouTube videos related to Michael Stich yet.
We don't have any PDF documents related to Michael Stich yet.
We don't have any Books related to Michael Stich yet.
We don't have any archived web articles related to Michael Stich yet.

Career

Stich was raised in Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein. He turned professional in 1988 and won his first top-level singles title in 1990 at Memphis, Tennessee.

Stich won Wimbledon in 1991. He defeated the defending champion and world No. 1 Stefan Edberg in the semifinals, 4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 7–6, without breaking his service once. Then in the final, he beat his compatriot and three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker in straight sets.1

In 1992, Stich teamed with John McEnroe to win the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in a five-set, five-hour final that stretched into Monday (the day after the tournament normally ends) and ended with a 19–17 set. No male player since has won both singles and doubles at Wimbledon.2 Then at the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Stich teamed with Becker to win the men's doubles gold medal. Stich also won the 1992 Grand Slam Cup, defeating Michael Chang in the final.

A major highlight of 1993 for Stich came at the end-of-year ATP World Championships, where he was the only player in the 1990s history of the Championship tournament to claim the title undefeated, overcoming Pete Sampras in the final.3 Playing for Germany, Stich also won both the Davis Cup and the Hopman Cup in 1993.

He reached his second Grand Slam singles final at the 1994 US Open, where he lost in straight sets to Andre Agassi. Stich also helped Germany win the World Team Cup in 1994.

He upset defending champion Thomas Muster in four sets in the fourth round of the 1996 French Open en route to appearing in his third and final Grand Slam singles final, where he lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in straight sets. He also won his final career singles title that year at Antwerp. His last doubles title came in 1997 at Halle.

Stich's all-round ability, both from the baseline and at the net, allowed him to become one of the few players to win both singles and doubles tournaments on all surfaces. He is one of only five players of his generation to have a positive career head-to-head record against Sampras.4

Stich announced his retirement from the professional tour in 1997, after Wimbledon. His last run at Wimbledon started with a win over US top-ten player Jim Courier and ended with a five-set loss to Cédric Pioline in the semifinals.

Since his retirement, he has devoted most of his time to his AIDS foundation. He also works as a tennis commentator for the BBC. In 2018, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.5 Stich was married to the German actress Jessica Stockmann from 1992 to 2003. In 2005, he married Alexandra Rikowski. They live in Hamburg.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1–2)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1991WimbledonGrass Boris Becker6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–4
Loss1994US OpenHard Andre Agassi1–6, 6–7(5–7), 5–7
Loss1996French OpenClay Yevgeny Kafelnikov6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–7(4–7)

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1992WimbledonGrass John McEnroe Jim Grabb Richey Reneberg5–7, 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 19–17

Other significant finals

Year-end championships finals

Singles: 1 (1–0)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1993ATP Tour World ChampionshipsCarpet (i) Pete Sampras7–6(7–3), 2–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–2

Grand Slam Cup finals: 2 (1–1)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1992Grand Slam CupCarpet (i) Michael Chang6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Loss1993Grand Slam CupCarpet (i) Petr Korda6–2, 4–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 9–11

Olympic men's doubles final

ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Gold1992Barcelona OlympicsClay Boris Becker Wayne Ferreira Piet Norval7–6(7–5), 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–3

Masters Series finals

Singles: 3 (2–1)

ResultYearTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1992HamburgClay Stefan Edberg7–5, 4–6, 1–6
Win1993HamburgClay Andrei Chesnokov6–3, 6–7(1–7), 7–6(9–7), 6–4
Win1993StockholmCarpet (i) Goran Ivanišević4–6, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–3), 6–2

Doubles: 3 (1–2)

ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1990HamburgClay Udo Riglewski Sergi Bruguera Jim Courier6–7, 2–6
Win1992Monte CarloClay Boris Becker Petr Korda Karel Nováček3–6, 6–1, 6–4
Loss1992HamburgClay Carl-Uwe Steeb Sergio Casal Emilio Sánchez7–5, 4–6, 3–6

Career finals

Singles: 31 (18–13)

Legend
Grand Slam (1–2)
Year-end championships (1–0)
Grand Slam Cup (1–1)
ATP Masters Series (2–1)
ATP Championship Series (3–3)
ATP World Series (10–6)
Finals by surface
Hard (4–4)
Grass (4–1)
Clay (3–5)
Carpet (7–3)
ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1.Mar 1990Memphis, USHard Wally Masur6–7(5–7), 6–4, 7–6(7–1)
Loss1.Jan 1991Adelaide, AustraliaHard Nicklas Kulti3–6, 6–1, 2–6
Loss2.Jan 1991Sydney, AustraliaHard Guy Forget3–6, 4–6
Loss3.Feb 1991Memphis, USHard (i) Ivan Lendl5–7, 3–6
Win2.Jul 1991Wimbledon, UKGrass Boris Becker6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–4
Win3.Jul 1991Stuttgart Outdoor, GermanyClay Alberto Mancini1–6, 7–6(11–9), 6–4, 6–2
Win4.Aug 1991Schenectady, USHard Emilio Sánchez6–2, 6–4
Win5.Oct 1991Vienna, AustriaCarpet (i) Jan Siemerink6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Loss4.May 1992Hamburg, GermanyClay Stefan Edberg7–5, 4–6, 1–6
Win6.Jun 1992Rosmalen, NetherlandsGrass Jonathan Stark6–4, 7–5
Win7.Dec 1992Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i) Michael Chang6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Win8.Feb 1993Stuttgart, GermanyCarpet (i) Richard Krajicek4–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–4), 3–6, 7–5
Loss5.May 1993Munich, GermanyClay Ivan Lendl6–7(2–7), 3–6
Win9.May 1993Hamburg, GermanyClay Andrei Chesnokov6–3, 6–7(1–7), 7–6(9–7), 6–4
Win10.Jun 1993London (Queen's Club), UKGrass Wayne Ferreira6–3, 6–4
Loss6.Jul 1993Stuttgart, GermanyClay Magnus Gustafsson3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 4–6
Win11.Aug 1993Basel, SwitzerlandHard (i) Stefan Edberg6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–2
Win12.Nov 1993Stockholm, SwedenCarpet (i) Goran Ivanišević4–6, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–3), 6–2
Win13.Nov 1993ATP Tour World Championships, FrankfurtCarpet (i) Pete Sampras7–6(7–3), 2–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–2
Loss7.Dec 1993Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i) Petr Korda6–2, 4–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 9–11
Win14.Feb 1994Rotterdam, NetherlandsCarpet (i) Wayne Ferreira4–6, 6–3, 6–0
Win15.May 1994Munich, GermanyClay Petr Korda6–2, 2–6, 6–3
Win16.Jun 1994Halle, GermanyGrass Magnus Larsson6–4, 4–6, 6–3
Loss8.Sep 1994US Open, New YorkHard Andre Agassi1–6, 6–7(5–7), 5–7
Loss9.Oct 1994Vienna, AustriaCarpet (i) Andre Agassi6–7(4–7), 6–4, 2–6, 3–6
Loss10.Feb 1995Stuttgart, GermanyCarpet (i) Richard Krajicek6–7(4–7), 3–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6
Loss11.May 1995Munich, GermanyClay Wayne Ferreira5–7, 6–7(6–8)
Loss12.Jun 1995Halle, GermanyGrass Marc Rosset6–3, 6–7(11–13), 6–7(8–10)
Win17.Aug 1995Los Angeles, USHard Thomas Enqvist6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–4), 6–2
Win18.Feb 1996Antwerp, BelgiumCarpet (i) Goran Ivanišević6–3, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Loss13.Jun 1996French Open, ParisClay Yevgeny Kafelnikov6–7(4–7), 5–7, 6–7(4–7)

Doubles: 16 (10–6)

Legend
Grand Slam (1–0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0–0)
Olympic Gold Medal (1–0)
ATP Masters Series (1–2)
ATP Championship Series (1–1)
ATP World Series (6–3)
Finals by surface
Hard (3–2)
Grass (3–1)
Clay (3–2)
Carpet (1–1)
ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1.Oct 1989Basel, SwitzerlandHard (i) Udo Riglewski Omar Camporese Claudio Mezzadri6–3, 4–6, 6–0
Loss1.Feb 1990Memphis, USHard (i) Udo Riglewski Darren Cahill Mark Kratzmann5–7, 2–6
Loss2.May 1990Hamburg, GermanyClay Udo Riglewski Sergi Bruguera Jim Courier6–7, 2–6
Win2.May 1990Munich, GermanyClay Udo Riglewski Petr Korda Tomáš Šmíd6–1, 6–4
Win3.Jun 1990Rosmalen, NetherlandsGrass Jakob Hlasek Jim Grabb John McEnroe7–6, 6–3
Loss3.Aug 1990Long Island, USHard Udo Riglewski Guy Forget Jakob Hlasek6–2, 3–6, 4–6
Win4.Oct 1990Vienna, AustriaCarpet (i) Udo Riglewski Jorge Lozano Todd Witsken6–4, 6–4
Win5.Jan 1991Memphis, USHard (i) Udo Riglewski John Fitzgerald Laurie Warder7–5, 6–3
Loss4.Feb 1991Philadelphia, USCarpet (i) Udo Riglewski Rick Leach Jim Pugh4–6, 4–6
Win6.Apr 1992Monte Carlo, MonacoClay Boris Becker Petr Korda Karel Nováček6–4, 6–4
Loss5.May 1992Hamburg, GermanyClay Carl-Uwe Steeb Sergio Casal Emilio Sánchez7–5, 4–6, 3–6
Loss6.Jun 1992Rosmalen, NetherlandsGrass John McEnroe Jim Grabb Richey Reneberg4–6, 7–6, 4–6
Win7.Jul 1992Wimbledon, LondonGrass John McEnroe Jim Grabb Richey Reneberg5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 19–17
Win8.Aug 1992Summer Olympics, BarcelonaClay Boris Becker Wayne Ferreira Piet Norval7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
Win9.Aug 1993Los Angeles, USHard Wayne Ferreira Grant Connell Scott Davis7–6, 7–6
Win10.Jun 1997Halle, GermanyGrass Karsten Braasch David Adams Marius Barnard7–6, 6–3

Performance timelines

Singles

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament1988198919901991199219931994199519961997 SR W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAA3R3RQFSF1R3RA2R0 / 716–7
French OpenA2R2RSF3R4R2R4RFA0 / 822–8
WimbledonA1R3RWQFQF1R1R4RSF1 / 925–8
US OpenA1R2RQF2R1RF4R2RA0 / 815–8
Win–loss0–01–36–417–311–412–47–48–410–36–21 / 3278–31
Year-end championships
ATP FinalsDid not qualifyRRDNQWDid not qualify1 / 25–3
Grand Slam CupNot HeldDNQSFWFDNQ1RDNQ1 / 49–3
National representation
Summer OlympicsANot Held2RNot HeldANH0 / 11–1
Davis CupAAQFSFPOWSFSFQFA1 / 621–9
Grand PrixATP Masters Series
Indian WellsAAASFSF2RA3RAA0 / 48–4
MiamiAA2R4RA4RA2RAA0 / 45–4
Monte CarloAA1RAQF2R3R2RA2R0 / 65–6
RomeAAA1R1RAQFA2RA0 / 44–3
HamburgA1R1RSFFWSF3RA2R1 / 818–7
CanadaAA2RAAAAQFAA0 / 23–2
CincinnatiAAAAAQFSFSFAA0 / 38–3
Stockholm1AAA2R3RWQFA2RA1 / 59–4
ParisAAQFA3RQF2RA1RA0 / 56–5
Win–lossN/A0–15–510–511–616–513–57–62–32–22 / 4066–37
Career statistics
Titles001426311018
Finals001739542031
Year-end ranking2691004241529121664

1 Held as Stockholm Masters until 1994, Stuttgart Masters from 1995 onward.

Doubles

Tournament1988198919901991199219931994199519961997 SR W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAA1RQF1RA1RAAA0 / 43–4
French OpenA3R2R3RAAAAAA0 / 35–3
WimbledonA1R2R1RW3RSFAAA1 / 613–5
US OpenA1R1RQFSF3RAAAA0 / 59–5
Win–loss0–02–32–48–410–24–24–20–00–00–01 / 1830–17
National representation
Summer OlympicsAnot heldGnot heldANH1 / 14–0
Davis CupAAQFSFPOWSFSFQFA1 / 614–2
Career statistics
Titles013131000110
Finals016251000116
Year-end ranking216732727167689156359206

Top 10 wins

Season19871988198919901991199219931994199519961997Total
Wins00017614362039
#PlayerRankEventSurfaceRdScore
1990
1. Brad Gilbert9Paris, FranceCarpet (i)3R6–4, 6–4
1991
2. Stefan Edberg1Hamburg, GermanyClayQF6–2, 7–6(7–4)
3. Goran Ivanišević8World Team Cup, DüsseldorfClayRR6–3, 6–4
4. Jim Courier4Wimbledon, United KingdomGrassQF6–3, 7–6(7–2), 6–2
5. Stefan Edberg1Wimbledon, United KingdomGrassSF4–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–2)
6. Boris Becker2Wimbledon, United KingdomGrassF6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–4
7. Jim Courier3Davis Cup, Kansas CityClay (i)RR6–4, 7–5, 6–4
8. Guy Forget7Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i)QF7–6(10–8), 6–4
1992
9. Boris Becker4Hamburg, GermanyClaySF6–1, 6–1
10. Pete Sampras3World Team Cup, DüsseldorfClayRR6–7(6–8), 6–2, 6–4
11. Stefan Edberg2Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i)1R7–6(7–4), 6–7(4–7), 8–6
12. Richard Krajicek10Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i)QF7–6(7–4), 7–5
13. Pete Sampras3Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i)SF7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 7–6(7–2)
14. Michael Chang6Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i)F6–2, 6–3, 6–2
1993
15. Ivan Lendl7Hamburg, GermanyClayQF6–3, 6–2
16. Stefan Edberg3World Team Cup, DüsseldorfClayRR6–2, 6–0
17. Boris Becker4Queen's Club, United KingdomGrassQF6–4, 7–6(7–2)
18. Petr Korda10Wimbledon, United KingdomGrass4R7–6(7–4), 6–4, 7–6(7–3)
19. Stefan Edberg5Davis Cup, BorlängeClay (i)RR6–1, 6–1
20. Stefan Edberg5Basel, SwitzerlandHard (i)F6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–2
21. Stefan Edberg6Stockholm, SwedenCarpet (i)QF1–6, 6–2, 6–4
22. Goran Ivanišević10Stockholm, SwedenCarpet (i)F4–6, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–3), 6–2
23. Andriy Medvedev6ATP Tour World Championships, FrankfurtCarpet (i)RR6–3, 6–4
24. Michael Chang7ATP Tour World Championships, FrankfurtCarpet (i)RR4–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–2
25. Jim Courier2ATP Tour World Championships, FrankfurtCarpet (i)RR7–5, 6–4
26. Goran Ivanišević8ATP Tour World Championships, FrankfurtCarpet (i)SF7–6(7–2), 7–6(12–10)
27. Pete Sampras1ATP Tour World Championships, FrankfurtCarpet (i)F7–6(7–3), 2–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–2
28. Stefan Edberg5Grand Slam Cup, MunichCarpet (i)SF2–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
1994
29. Pete Sampras1World Team Cup, DüsseldorfClayRR3–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–2
30. Sergi Bruguera6World Team Cup, DüsseldorfClayF2–6, 6–4, 6–3
31. Sergi Bruguera4Davis Cup, HalleGrassRR7–6(7–4), 5–7, 7–5, 6–2
1995
32. Goran Ivanišević5Davis Cup, KarlsruheHard (i)RR7–6(7–3), 4–6, 6–1, 6–4
33. Boris Becker3Stuttgart, GermanyCarpet (i)SF6–0, 6–3
34. Richard Krajicek10Davis Cup, UtrechtHard (i)RR3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
35. Magnus Larsson10World Team Cup, DüsseldorfClayRR7–5, 7–6(7–5)
36. Pete Sampras2Cincinnati, United StatesHardQF6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–1
37. Yevgeny Kafelnikov6Davis Cup, MoscowClay (i)RR6–1, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
1996
38. Goran Ivanišević9Antwerp, BelgiumCarpet (i)F6–3, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
39. Thomas Muster2French Open, ParisClay4R4–6, 6–4, 6–1, 7–6(7–1)

Record against No. 1 players

Stich's match record against players who have been ranked world No. 1.

PlayerYearsMatchesRecordWin %HardClayGrassCarpet
Patrick Rafter1994–199522–0100%2–00–00–00–0
Marcelo Ríos199411–0100%1–00–00–00–0
Mats Wilander199111–0100%1–00–00–00–0
Jimmy Connors1990–199243–175%2–11–00–00–0
Stefan Edberg1991–19961610–663%1–35–11–03–2
Thomas Muster1992–199653–260%0–02–20–01–0
Jim Courier1990–1997127–558%2–21–22–02–1
Pete Sampras1991–199595–456%1–12–10–12–1
John McEnroe1990–199221–150%0–10–01–00–0
Boris Becker1990–1996124–833%0–11–02–11–6
Yevgeny Kafelnikov1993–1997113–827%1–11–40–11–2
/ Ivan Lendl1989–199371–614%0–31–10–10–1
Andre Agassi1990–199460–60%0–30–10–00–2
Total1989–19978841–4747%11–1614–126–410–15

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael Stich.

References

  1. "Michael Stich: thirty years on". Wimbledon.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022. https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2021-07-07/michael_stich_thirty_years_on.html ↩

  2. "Michael Stich: thirty years on". Wimbledon.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022. https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2021-07-07/michael_stich_thirty_years_on.html ↩

  3. ATP World Tour Finals#Records and statistics /wiki/ATP_World_Tour_Finals#Records_and_statistics ↩

  4. "FedEx ATP Head 2 Head – Tennis – ATP World Tour". Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20150227120202/http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=S351&oId=S402 ↩

  5. "International Tennis Hall of Fame". Tennisfame.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022. https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/michael-stich ↩