Australian tennis player Peter Doohan dies after a nine-week struggle with motor neurone disease

Australian tennis player Peter Doohan dies after a nine-week struggle with motor neurone disease

Australian Peter Doohan, who famously upset Boris Becker at Wimbledon, has died at the age of 56, Tennis Australia(TA) said on Saturday.

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Australian tennis player Peter Doohan dies after a nine-week struggle with motor neurone disease

Sydney: Australian Peter Doohan, who famously upset Boris Becker at Wimbledon, has died at the age of 56, Tennis Australia(TA) said on Saturday.

Doohan, dubbed the ‘Becker Wrecker’ after defeating two-time defending champion Becker at Wimbledon in 1987, passed away from motor neurone disease diagnosed just nine weeks ago.

File image of Peter Doohan, Twitter/@tennisaustralia

Doohan reached a career-high world ranking of 43 and won five titles.

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“Peter was unbeaten in Davis Cup representation. He won the South Australian Open singles title and reached No 15 in doubles,” TA said in a statement.

“Following his retirement, Peter coached in the United States, after first studying at the University of Arkansas, where he was all-American and a NCAA champion. He returned to live in Australia in 2009.”

TA said the tennis community rallied around Doohan with a number of fund raisers during his battle with a particularly aggressive form of motor neurone disease.

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