The three-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion served eight months of his two-and-a-half-year sentence for hiding £2.5m of assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case.
Boris Becker took the tennis world by storm when he became the youngest ever Wimbledon men’s singles champion in 1985 at the young age of 17. He went on to win the accolade three times over, as well as two Australian Open titles, and one Roland Garros title.
But things came crashing down for the tennis player when he was jailed in April 2022 for hiding £2.5 million in assets and loans that he was required to disclose.
In a new documentary for ITVX, viewers will get to see inside the story of how the three-time Wimbledon champion lost it all, in a highly publicised bankruptcy trial.
Revealing interviews from those closest to Becker, alongside never-before-seen footage, Boris Becker: The Rise and Fall will show the athlete like never before.
Becker was sentenced to 30 months for his crimes, however, he served just eight months of his sentence before being released.
So, where is Boris Becker now? Read on for everything you need to know about the former tennis star.
Who is Boris Becker?
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Boris Franz Becker, 54, is a German former world No. 1 tennis player.
He is the youngest ever winner of the gentlemen’s singles Wimbledon Championships, which he won at the age of 17 in 1985.
Becker is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and was featured in the list of Tennis Magazine’s 40 greatest players on its 40th anniversary in 2006.
Boris Becker conviction
In April 2022, Boris Becker was sent to prison for hiding £2.5 million in assets and loans that he was required to disclose.
The Grand Slam champion was found guilty of four acts under the Insolvency Act.
The case centred on Becker’s bankruptcy in 2017, resulting from an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his luxury estate in Mallorca, Spain.
Becker had been legally obliged to share 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.
However, he failed to disclose, concealed and removed significant assets from the Official Receiver and his Trustee in Bankruptcy. Assets concealed included his share of a property in Leiman, Germany, and 75,000 shares in a software company.
In his 2022 trial, Becker was found guilty of removal of property, two counts of failing to disclose estate and concealing debt.
Jurors acquitted him on a further 20 charges, including nine counts of failing to hand over his tennis trophies and medals.
On 29th April 2022, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He was sent to HM Prison Wandsworth before being transferred to HM Prison Huntercombe, which is a facility used to detain foreign nationals.
He was released on 15th December 2022 after serving eight and a half months.
Where is Boris Becker now?
After he was released from prison, Boris Becker quickly returned to his native country Germany, as he was eligible for automatic deportation having received a custodial sentence of more than 12 months.
Speaking of his 231 days behind bars, he previously told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Whoever says that prison life isn’t hard and isn’t difficult, I think is lying. It was a very brutal … a very, very different experience to what you see in the movies, what you’ve heard from stories.
“You fight every day for survival. Quickly, you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection.”
He said his incarceration “humbled” him, adding: “I’m a survivor; I’m a tough cookie. I’ve taken the incarceration, but I’ve also taken the glory and if anything this made me a stronger, better man.”
Is Boris Becker allowed back in the UK?
Boris Becker will not be allowed to return to the UK until October 2024 at the earliest.
Becker has said that he misses London, however, and would “love” to return to his commentating role at Wimbledon.
He also revealed that he’s been in contact with the BBC about being part of its coverage in the future, but said that “it’s not [his] decision”.
As per The Guardian, a Home Office spokesperson said: “Any foreign national who has been convicted of a crime and deported is prohibited from returning for as long as the deportation order made against them remains in force.”
Boris Becker: The Rise & Fall will be available to stream exclusively on ITVX on Thursday 13th July.
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