Teenageupstartwho upendedwimbledon butendedupinprison
Thirty-seven years ago, Boris Becker strolled on to Wimbledon’s Centre Court, about to become the youngest player ever to win the prestigious tennis tournament.
Just 17 years old, Becker won the Wimbledon singles title, defeating Kevin Curren in four sets to become the only unseeded player to ever achieve this feat.
Becker successfully defended his title the following year.
This record-breaking achievement paved the way for the rest of his career, and the German won 49 singles titles and 15 doubles titles, and in 2003 was inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame.
The peak of Becker’s career did not, however, come without its own drama. His rivalry with Sweden’s Stefan Edberg was a defining feature of both of their careers, with Edberg denying Becker a third Wimbledon win in the 1988 final, before the German turned the tables in their rematch a year later. The rivalry even inspired a young Roger Federer to choose to play tennis rather than soccer.
Becker’s playing style was also highly emotional, with racquet smashing and ball throwing often landing him in trouble. During the 1987 Australian Open, Becker broke three racquets, and was handed a $2,000 fine for “twice throwing the ball in an offensive manner at the umpire, hitting the umpire’s chair on one occasion, spitting water in the direction of the umpire, and hitting three balls out of the court”.
Yet, it was his issues back home in Germany which pushed Becker into severe decline. In 1993, he married his now ex-wife Barabara Feltus while she was eight months pregnant.
During their 18 years of marriage, the couple had two sons but Becker fathered a third child whilst his wife was pregnant with their second child. At first, he adamantly denied paternity.
Since then, Becker has been engaged to one woman, married another, and has dated two more, one of whom, model Lilian de Carvalho, accompanied him throughout his court visits leading up to his prison sentencing. It was at this point, walking into the court wearing a Wimbledon Tennis Club tie, that it became clear how far the tennis superstar had fallen.
Before declaring bankruptcy, Becker spent a lot of money, with his most common haunting ground being Harrods, where he was even spotted browsing the day before his sentencing.
Over the course of his tennis career, Becker, who became a mainstay of TV coverage of Wimbledon, earned £35 million which was simply not enough to keep up with his divorces and lavish lifestyle.
After he declared his
bankruptcy he offered to hand over his wedding ring but failed to mention his £1.3 million home in Germany where his mother lived, alongside a £692,000 loan from a Liechtenstein bank, and shares in a Canadian artificial intelligence company.
Becker was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act of concealing assets from his bankruptcy trustees in 2017. In April this year, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison but it is expected he will only serve half of this time.
Dean Beale, chief executive of the Insolvency Service, said: “This conviction serves as a clear warning to those who think they can hide their assets and get away with it. You will be found out and prosecuted.”