Boris Becker rose to stardom at the age of 17 in 1985 when he became the youngest male singles player to win the Wimbledon Championships. Throughout his career, he went on to win two more Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens, and one US Open, retiring in 1999. However, on April 29, 2022, Becker was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.
The jury found Becker guilty for failing to declare his ownership stake in a sprawling £1 million property in his German hometown of Leimen. He also concealed a bank loan of nearly £700,000 related to that property, as well as shares in a technology firm valued at £66,000, among others.
Novak Djokovic’s coach Boris Becker was once imprisoned.
Boris Becker, the former six-time Grand Slam champion, has found himself in hot water, serving a lengthy sentence for financial shenanigans. The man who once dominated the tennis courts is now known for a different kind of court: the one where they judge you for hiding and shifting about a small fortune of £2.5 million during his bankruptcy procedures in June 2017. Talk about a fall from grace.
According to the BBC, Judge Deborah Taylor said he had shown no remorse or acceptance of guilt. Referring to Becker’s previous conviction for tax evasion in Germany in 2002, she told the former world number one: “You did not heed the warning you were given and the chance you were given by the suspended sentence, and that is a significant aggravating factor. You have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy. While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility.
Becker’s story is a textbook example of a sports legend who seems to forget that managing finances is just as important as a strong will. In 2017, he declared bankruptcy due to an outstanding loan of over £3 million relating to his luxury villa in Mallorca, Spain. It should serve as a warning to everyone living a high life without paying their dues.
Boris Becker was legally obliged to disclose all of his assets so that his trustee could distribute available funds to his creditors, to whom he owed nearly £50 million when he was declared bankrupt. The German national made about £38 million in earnings before retiring in 1999.
Becker had told the jury his career earnings of $50 million (about £38 million) were spent on an expensive divorce from his first wife in 2001, child maintenance payments, and “expensive lifestyle commitments”, including his £22,000-a-month rented house in Wimbledon, south-west London.
The trial also revealed Boris Becker’s taste for designer clothes, shopping at Harrods, and that he was spending thousands on his children’s school fees. He said his income had “reduced dramatically” following his retirement in 1999. In 2013, Boris Becker turned his hand to coaching, working with Novak Djokovic, and in their three years together, Djokovic won six Grand Slam titles.
Boris Becker likely to return to tennis following his prison release
Boris Becker was found guilty of four separate charges under the Insolvency Act and sentenced to two and a half years for having concealed £2.5 million worth of assets. He only served eight months and was released in December, with the 55-year-old reportedly being deported to Germany.
Nearly a year later, Becker appears to be in line for a return to tennis coaching after appearing in a social media post with Holger Rune. Rune is currently without a coach, having ended a nine-month stint with Patrick Mouratoglou.
Taking to Instagram, the 20-year-old was snapped with the former world no. 1 and said, “Great practice week in Monaco.” Rune has so far made three appearances in the Grand Slam quarterfinals and currently sits at No. 5 in the world rankings. Rune could elevate his game even further under the watchful eye of Boris Becker, who is regarded as one of tennis’s greatest players.
