Barely out of prison, Boris Becker makes cash again: with a self-deprecating commercial. People he owes money to don't seem to find it funny at all.
According to a media report, a new commercial with Boris Becker upset his creditors. "Becker's time in prison was clearly too short. He lives in his own world, hides reality - like before imprisonment," the "Bild-Zeitung" quoted one of them as saying without naming them.
In the spot for a television manufacturer, which is to be broadcast for the first time in a week, Becker drives up in a chic vintage car, enters a villa and throws fake banknotes out of the window. The tennis legend, convicted of bankruptcy offences, says with a wink: "Don't throw your money out the window." Becker explained to the "Bild" newspaper that it was about satire and self-mockery. The order is the "first deal in my new life".
Becker's explanation: "It's true that I threw money out of the window. But then it was important to me to make fun of myself to recommend to the younger generation not to copy me." Apparently his creditors are not convinced by this account. One outraged the newspaper: "Embarrassing advertising! If Becker would at least use the fee to pay his debts, this embarrassing action would at least have a good purpose. But so far, Becker has put every cent he earns in his own pocket .And he wants to be a role model for younger people and give them money tips?"
A third believer took a similar line: "Self-mockery? When you owe so many people so much money? To put out a commercial like this now and want to give advice to the younger generation speaks for itself and gets deep into the mindset of Mr look at Becker." However, the creditors did not want to read their names in the "Bild" newspaper.
A few months ago, Boris Becker was still in a prison in England for bankruptcy offences. At the end of April 2022, a court in London sentenced him to two and a half years in prison for failing to properly declare parts of his assets in his bankruptcy proceedings. In mid-December - after 231 days behind bars - he was released.
(This article was first published on Monday, March 06, 2023.)
