Tennis has always had a flair for drama. It’s a sport where fierce rivalries and beautiful friendships go hand in hand. While Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal gave fans goosebumps with their on-court battles, they had an off-court bromance. However, the ’90s served something spicier. Andre Agassi vs. Boris Becker was not your usual tennis feud with all the drama. But now, after retirement, things seemed to have changed. Now, Becker is wishing his old rival on his special day.

The numbers tell one part of the story. Agassi and Becker faced off 14 times, five of which came at Grand Slams. Agassi came out on top 10 times. But these weren’t just numbers. There was heat, mind games, and pure drama every time they clashed. And even though they never played each other in a Major final, their semifinal showdowns were packed with intensity. In his autobiography “Open”, released in 2009, Agassi revealed how it affected him. During the 1995 US Open semifinal, Becker used tactics to get under Agassi’s skin. He started blowing air kisses toward the stands, specifically to Brooke Shields, who was a close friend of Agassi at the time. That move set Agassi off. “Keep us away from each other. I don’t want this damn German in sight,” Agassi told the guards.

Still, time has a way of softening even the harshest edges. Today, the two tennis legends seem to have put the past behind them. Boris Becker, now quite active on social media, gave everyone a little surprise recently. He was celebrating his wife Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro’s birthday with a lovely post and a few sweet photos. But then he noticed something—April 29 wasn’t just his wife’s birthday. It was also his former rival’s birthday.

The 6-time Grand Slam champion wished his old rival on his Instagram Story and wrote, “Just realised it’s also @agassi birthday today! Happy birthday man! All the very best on your special day!”

It’s a strange twist for those who followed their rivalry back in the day. Agassi once couldn’t even stand to see Becker. And now, Becker is wishing him well on his 55th birthday. The timeline may have changed, but the past remains fascinating.

How Andre Agassi overturned his rivalry with Boris Becker

Rewind to the early days of their rivalry, and it was Boris Becker who had the upper hand. He won the first three matches. But then came the turning point. Andre Agassi turned the tables and went on to win eight matches in a row. He closed the head-to-head battle with a commanding 10-4 lead.

The secret? A tiny, almost ridiculous detail. In a 2017 interview with The Players’ Tribune, Agassi let fans in on something wild. “I started to realize he had this weird tick with his tongue,” Agassi said. “I’m not kidding. He would go into his rocking motion, his same routine, and just as he was about to toss the ball, he would stick his tongue out. And it would either be right in the middle of his lip, or it’d be to the left corner of his lip.” That little flick of the tongue became Agassi’s cheat code. He revealed, “If he’s serving in the deuce court and he put his tongue in the middle of his lip, he was either serving up the middle or to the body. But if he put it to the side, he was going to serve out wide.”

Of course, the 8-time Grand Slam champion couldn’t make it obvious. He had to be smart about when and how he used that information. The 55-year-old said, “I had to resist the temptation of reading his serve for the majority of the match and choose the moment when I was gonna use that information on a given point to execute a shot that would allow me to break the match open.”

And when did Becker find out? Not during a match. Not even while they were playing. It was years later at Oktoberfest in Germany, of all places, when Agassi told Becker about the tongue tell. Becker, as expected, was stunned.

Today, both men have moved on. Boris Becker is still very much in the tennis world, sharing thoughts and moments on social media. Agassi, meanwhile, is stepping into new roles. He’s set to take over as Team World captain at the Laver Cup and is also jumping into the world of pickleball. He’ll partner up with teen star Anna Leigh Waters in the mixed pro division at the US Open Pickleball Championships underway right now. Agassi and Becker’s rivalry was once fire and fury. Now, it’s birthday wishes and Oktoberfest memories. Can the fiercest rivalries really turn into friendships once the final point is played?