Tennis legend Boris Becker was one of the country's biggest stars, but in 2022 he has to go to prison for bankruptcy offenses. He's been a free man again since December - and wants to put the bankruptcy behind him quickly.
Boris Becker was in prison in England for 231 days, the tennis legend had been sentenced to imprisonment for bankruptcy offences. Becker, who had earned tens of millions of dollars in prize money and from sponsorship contracts in his great career, got into financial difficulties after his successful career with six Grand Slam titles. The tennis star was released from prison in December 2022, and the 55-year-old has now given the "Financial Times" information about his view of things.
"What lesson should I have learned? That I have to be careful with my money? Yes. Should I have better advisors? Yes. Who do I listen to in my matches when I'm best at tennis? I listen to myself" , explained Becker, who is one of the most respected tennis experts of our time and celebrated his comeback on tennis TV for Eurosport at the Australian Open in January. But then he surprised with a statement: "I'm actually quite good with numbers, believe it or not." He also advised his daughter Anna Ermakova on her fee negotiations for the RTL program "Let's Dance". "We talked a bit about her fee and she trusted my advice on how to bluff."
His financial woes didn't stem from bad investments. "I had good investments in car dealerships, in real estate. I was cash poor and asset rich." His divorces were particularly expensive. "You get divorced, then you get divorced again. It's quick! It wasn't that I spent it on the Ferrari and the gold Rolex watches. It wasn't because I was poor either. I had a high income, but I also had high expenses. I financed three families."
A London court put Becker's debts at 59 million euros in 2017. Mark Ford, Becker's insolvency administrator, had already explained to the "Bild" newspaper a few weeks ago: "Only a small part of it has been repaid so far." Becker still wants to leave the bankruptcy behind this year: "Am I making money now? Yes," said Becker. "I am very aware that I was given a second chance." He was "humble" that Eurosport, Puma and other partners stood by him. His new advisors "see that the Boris Becker brand is now probably hotter than it has been for a long time".
At the Berlinale, the tennis legend recently presented the first of two parts of the documentary "Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker" by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, which will later be shown on the Apple TV streaming service. "That's a lot about tennis, that's a lot about a man's struggle with fame and fortune," Becker thanked the audience at the premiere.
