Franz Beckenbauer

Growing up in Germany, football, not tennis, was the most important sport. And there was one name that was associated with football like no other — Franz Beckenbauer. Whether captaining his club, Bayern Munich, or the national team, he won absolutely everything you could win in football.

So it was no surprise to me that when my country pledged to make the 2006 World Cup the most successful in history, officials summoned Beckenbauer to head the national effort. And he didn’t disappoint, applying grace and intelligence to the massive task. Though our team finished third, the enormous enthusiasm of local fans and visitors handed Germany a prize it has long deserved: international recognition as a hospitable, modern, buzzy destination.

Success comes naturally to Beckenbauer. Nicknamed the “Kaiser” for his dominating yet distinguished style of play, he became the first man to take home the World Cup both as captain in 1974 and as manager when he coached the last West German team to victory in 1990. On that very same day in 1990, I played the Wimbledon final against Stefan Edberg and lost in five sets. I went home that night completely heartbroken, but thanks to Beckenbauer and the team, I opened a bottle of champagne after all.