Tennis : Becker Meets Teltscher Today in Davis Cup Quarterfinal

Wimbledon champion Boris Becker, whose success on the tennis court won’t spare him from the West German military draft, will face Eliot Teltscher in the first match of the U.S.-West Germany Davis Cup quarterfinals at Hamburg today, organizers said Thursday.

The newspaper Bild quoted Defense Minister Manfred Woerner as saying that Becker, 17, could have to report for active duty in 1987.

Reached by telephone Thursday in Bonn, Defense Ministry spokesman Fritz Boller said Woerner did not specifically say that Becker must serve in the West German army. “He only said that exceptions are not made for sports stars.

“Sports players too must serve their time in the army. But you might be surprised to hear that some of them do not pass the fitness tests, because they have injuries.”

Boller added: “Boris Becker must first undergo these tests. If he passes them, and is called into the army, then we will find a way to treat him so that he can compete (in tennis).”

On July 7, the teen-ager became the first German, the youngest player and the first unseeded player to win the men’s championship at Wimbledon.

Following the Becker-Teltscher match, West Germany’s Hansjoerg Schwaier will meet Aaron Krickstein, who celebrates his 18th birthday today.

Becker and Andreas Maurer will play the American team of Ken Flach and Robert Seguso in Saturday’s doubles at the Rothenbaum Tennis Club.

Schwaier will then face Teltscher in Sunday’s first reverse singles match, followed by Becker vs. Krickstein.

The Americans are playing without John McEnroe, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, and No. 3 Jimmy Connors. Neither was willing to sign a good-behavior pledge required for the first time by U.S. Coach Arthur Ashe.

Organizers said that the 11,500 seats for each of the three days have long been sold out.