TROPHIES TO TRYSTS...HIS FALL FROM SPORTS GLORY
BABY-FACED Becker became an instant superstar after winning Wimbledon while an unseeded 17-year-old in 1985.
The German stunned the world with his four-set triumph against South Africa’s Kevin Curren.
The following year, Becker proved his maiden win was no fluke, beating world No1 Ivan Lendl, also in four sets.
A third victory followed in 1989 against long-term rival Stefan Edberg, who himself defeated Becker in the finals of 1988 and 1990.
In the course of a career which earned him almost £20million in prize money, Becker won the 1989 US Open and the Australian Open in 1991 – also at Lendl’s expense. He triumphed once more in Melbourne in 1996, defeating Michael Chang in what would be his last Grand Slam success.
Becker, from Leimen in south-west Germany, also reached the Wimbledon final in 1995, losing out to eight-times champion Pete Sampras.
In 2012 Becker said: “I had won so much by 22, a number of Wimbledon titles, US Open, Davis Cup, World number one. You look for the next big
thing and that isn’t in tennis.” In 2003 he published his autobiography and in 2009 he announced the launch of Boris
Becker TV – a website in both English and German featuring clips from his career and footage of his daily life.
In 2017, he became head of the men’s game at the German Tennis Federation. He also served on the economic advisory board group at Bayern Munich, the football club he dreamed of playing for as a boy. And he has been a Wimbledon commentator for years.
Becker, now 54, found time to coach Novak Djokovic between 2013 and 2016 and to compete on both the European Poker Tour and the World Poker Tour.
Meanwhile, his colourful private life has kept tongues wagging, not least his tryst with Angela Ermakova in a restaurant’s broom cupboard in 1999.
His wife Barbara Feltus was expecting their second child at the time – and Angela also became pregnant with daughter Anna.
Becker and Feltus, married in 1993, divorced in 2001 and she received an £11.5million settlement, their Florida condo and custody of their two children, Noah and Elias.
The star had third son Amadeus with second wife Sharlely “Lilly” Kerssenberg in 2010. They split in 2019. He has dated Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro since 2020.
LABOUR’S Deputy Leader Angela Rayner was present when her boss Sir Keir Starmer was caught on video drinking a beer with staff during lockdown, officials have admitted.
The party previously said she was not at the event in April 2021, but a source insisted it was a “mistake made in good faith”.
A Labour source said no Covid rules had been broken at the work gathering, which took place in the Durham constituency office of MP Mary Foy.
Some Tories have been calling for police to reconsider their decision not investigate the event following the fine issued to Boris Johnson for attending a birthday party in No 10. It had been reported that when journalists approached party officials, in January, they had been told Ms Rayner was not present.
But a newspaper has produced video evidence to the contrary.
A Labour spokesman said there was “no comparison” with the parties which took place in No 10 and Whitehall.