BERLIN, July 5: Germans reacted with shock and regret to the news that national hero Boris Becker had said farewell to Wimbledon, but he said he was relieved to have the decision behind him and planned to concentrate on his family.

``Now I'd like to have a bigger family,'' Becker told RTL television. ``Three, four children... However, it's not all up to me.''

Becker, 29, and his wife, Barbara, have a 3-year-old son, Noah.

In another television interview yesterday, Becker told SAT1 he'd been preparing his announcement since being defeated in the first round at the Australian Open in January.

``My wife knew I want to quit since the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne,'' Becker said. ``Then I told her, `Girl, now we have to show that we can somehow make it over the next six months to Wimbledon, because I can't go on like this.''

``Now this pressure has been taken off my shoulders, and that's a very pleasant feeling. I love the sport, I love tennis. Nobody has to force me to do it. That's why I would like to stay with it as long as possible and then sometime later quit entirely.''

Becker, who won his first of three Wimbledon titles in 1985, was ousted from this year's tournament on Thursday by Pete Sampras. Afterward, Becker said it would be his last Wimbledon. He said he did not have it in him to win another two-week Grand Slams.