This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Former Australian tennis player and coach Peter Doohan has died at the age of 56.

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Dubbed the “Becker Wrecker” after famously defeating two-time defending champion Boris Becker in 1987 at Wimbledon, Doohan reached a career-high world ranking of No 43.

In a tweet on Saturday evening, Becker said: “My heartfelt condolences to the family of #PeterDoohan! The tennis fraternity lost a great guy and wonderful player!”

In a statement issued earlier on Saturday, Tennis Australia said the tennis family was deeply saddened by the news.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

“Peter was unbeaten in Davis Cup representation. He won the South Australian Open singles title and reached No 15 in doubles, winning five titles during his distinguished career.”

The ABC reported Doohan had been recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of motor neurone disease.