Tennis legend Boris Becker has opened up about his time in prison, admitting he "literally lost everything" and that "95 per cent" of his former inner circle are now "gone."
In 2022, the six-time Grand Slam champion was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for hiding £2.5 million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts, having been declared bankrupt five years earlier. He served eight months before being released and deported from the UK.
Negotiations with Home Office
Under the terms of his deportation order, Becker is currently barred from entering the UK but has revealed he is in negotiations with the Home Office to have the ban overturned. The 58-year-old, a long-time BBC Wimbledon pundit, was left out of the broadcaster's coverage last year due to the ban.
Instead of returning to Germany, Becker has settled in Milan, Italy, with his third wife, Lilian, and their seven-month-old daughter, Zoe. He now works as a pundit for Sky Italia.
Life in Prison and Reflection
In a new interview with the Telegraph, Becker described his eight months inside. “When you are incarcerated, you literally lose everything. All that is left is your personality, your character. So you have to dig down inside to ask, ‘OK, who am I? Is this going to kill me, or is this going to make me stronger?’”
He added: “Each month, it gets a little bit better, you get closer to yourself. You think, ‘What went wrong for me to end up in Wandsworth?’ You have to be convinced you will survive. And once you do, the question is ‘What do I do when I get out?’ That’s why the comeback happened so quickly, because I was already preparing while inside.”
Loss of Inner Circle
Becker admitted that “90 per cent of [his] former circle is gone,” adding: “Probably even 95 per cent. That doesn’t mean I don’t say hello – I see their numbers and I write them a friendly ‘No’.”
He noted the reactions of others: “I find [people] look at me and shake their head, saying, ‘We can’t believe you’re back. How did you do it?’ And then I think to myself, ‘How should I take this? Are you happy for me or not?’ It’s the response I see the most.”
Missing Wimbledon
Becker has missed four consecutive Wimbledon championships and says SW19 is what he misses most while banned. “I don’t think I miss London, but I miss Wimbledon. It’s my birthplace, in a sense. I feel so close to the club, to the courts. I have a story on every court, in every corner, in the locker room, in the car park. I probably know Wimbledon better than anyone else alive.”
