Why did Boris Becker go to prison and where is he now? How the tennis legend went from Wimbledon glory to fina
![Why did Boris Becker go to prison and where is he now How the tennis
legend went from Wimbledon glory to fina](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=%2Fuploads%2Fnews%2F54%2F5438%2F1%2F5438157-why-did-boris-becker-go-to-prison-and-where-is-he-now-how-the-tennis-legend-went.jpg&w=750&hash=fdd10f6d37127c38b31629f74ad715b0)
- The 56-year-old German star splurged £100 million on his luxurious lifestyle
- The tennis champion was jailed on 29 April 2022 after attempting to hide money
By Sukhmani Sethi
Published: 19:19 GMT, 6 February 2024 | Updated: 19:22 GMT, 6 February 2024
Boris Becker's spectacular fall from glory as three-time Wimbledon champion to financial ruin was highly publicised following the tennis legend's bankruptcy trial in 2022.
The former world number one's unbridled splurging habits saw him squander his fortune, which was estimated at a whopping £127 million, before the tennis giant was brought to his knees in an enormous hole of debt.
The 56-year-old German star spent an estimated £100 million on a life of luxury but was declared bankrupt in 2017.
The six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed on 29 April 2022 after Becker desperately attempted to salvage what was left of his fortune by hiding his assets and loans.
'Boom-Boom' Becker was also convicted for failing to declare property in Germany, and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in a spectacular trial.
Now his story is being aired on ITV in a two-part series covering the tennis star's fall from grace, with the first episode kicking off with Becker's rise to sporting legend when he won Wimbledon in 1985 at only 17.
The series will provide exclusive interviews with those who know the tennis star and footage from previously unseen personal and family archives.
![The six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed on 29 April 2022 after Becker desperately attempted to salvage what was left of his fortune by hiding his assets and loans](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80927889-13052557-image-a-1_1707242613889.jpg&w=728&hash=a6a049d5cb82759047cc05f2651f851f)
![The six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed on 29 April 2022 after Becker desperately attempted to salvage what was left of his fortune by hiding his assets and loans](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80927889-13052557-image-a-1_1707242613889.jpg&w=728&hash=a6a049d5cb82759047cc05f2651f851f)
The six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed on 29 April 2022 after Becker desperately attempted to salvage what was left of his fortune by hiding his assets and loans
![Tennis legend Boris Becker rose to sporting fame when he won Wimbledon in 1985 at only 17](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80928155-13052557-image-a-2_1707242684183.jpg&w=728&hash=fa4485b38893cc49f03c9b59fd0cedae)
![Tennis legend Boris Becker rose to sporting fame when he won Wimbledon in 1985 at only 17](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80928155-13052557-image-a-2_1707242684183.jpg&w=728&hash=fa4485b38893cc49f03c9b59fd0cedae)
Tennis legend Boris Becker rose to sporting fame when he won Wimbledon in 1985 at only 17
Who is Boris Becker?
Boris Franz Becker, 56, is the youngest-ever winner of the gentlemen's singles Wimbledon Championships title at 17 in 1985, which marked the beginning of the star's assent to tennis legend.
Becker is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time with 64 title wins including six Grand Slam singles titles: three Wimbledon Championships, two Australian Opens and one US Open, 13 Masters titles, three year-end championships and back-to-back championship wins in Davis Cup 1988 and 1989.
The tennis star also won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 in the men's double.
After retiring as a player, Becker became a tennis commentator and media personality, with his personal life becoming increasingly covered by news outlets amid speculation about his relationships and keen interest in his playboy lifestyle.
Becker also coached Serbian number one, Novak Djokovic, for three years.
![Boris Franz Becker, 56, is the youngest-ever winner of the gentlemen's singles Wimbledon Championships title at 17 in 1985 after defeating South African player Kevin Curren](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80928153-13052557-image-a-3_1707243376391.jpg&w=728&hash=a4db6f7051f78b1e31cb80446fb2069e)
![Boris Franz Becker, 56, is the youngest-ever winner of the gentlemen's singles Wimbledon Championships title at 17 in 1985 after defeating South African player Kevin Curren](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80928153-13052557-image-a-3_1707243376391.jpg&w=728&hash=a4db6f7051f78b1e31cb80446fb2069e)
Boris Franz Becker, 56, is the youngest-ever winner of the gentlemen's singles Wimbledon Championships title at 17 in 1985 after defeating South African player Kevin Curren
Why did Boris Becker go to jail?
Becker was jailed for two-and-a-half years in April 2022 after the tennis champion was found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act, and acquitted of a further 20 counts at Southwark Crown Court.
After burning through his multi-million pound fortune, Becker found himself in an inescapable hole of debt and was declared bankrupt in June 2017 over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
In attempt to hide £2.5million in assets while bankrupt, Becker transferred €427,00 (£356,000) to the bank accounts of several recipients, including his ex-wife Barbara and his estranged wife Sharlely 'Lilly' Becker.
He also failed to declare his share in a £1million property in his home town of Leimen, Germany, hid a bank loan of almost £700,000 - worth £1.1million with interest - and concealed 75,000 shares in a tech firm, valued at £66,000.
But he continued to spend hundreds of pounds at luxury department store Harrods, bought online groceries at Ocado and treated himself to designer Ralph Lauren clothes, jurors had heard.
![Becker was jailed for two-and-a-half years in April 2022 after the tennis champion was found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F19%2F80929437-13052557-Becker_was_jailed_for_two_and_a_half_years_in_April_2022_after_t-m-22_1707247337414.jpg&w=728&hash=f59fdc76cf6603e7bba7d159621f9d5a)
![Becker was jailed for two-and-a-half years in April 2022 after the tennis champion was found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F19%2F80929437-13052557-Becker_was_jailed_for_two_and_a_half_years_in_April_2022_after_t-m-22_1707247337414.jpg&w=728&hash=f59fdc76cf6603e7bba7d159621f9d5a)
Becker was jailed for two-and-a-half years in April 2022 after the tennis champion was found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act
![Becker continued to spend hundreds of pounds at luxury department store Harrods, bought online groceries at Ocado and treated himself to designer Ralph Lauren clothes, jurors had heard](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F19%2F80929459-13052557-Becker_continued_to_spend_hundreds_of_pounds_at_luxury_departmen-m-23_1707247347403.jpg&w=728&hash=e69c2f9e4a57a7e80f0e0bea0523fe6f)
![Becker continued to spend hundreds of pounds at luxury department store Harrods, bought online groceries at Ocado and treated himself to designer Ralph Lauren clothes, jurors had heard](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F19%2F80929459-13052557-Becker_continued_to_spend_hundreds_of_pounds_at_luxury_departmen-m-23_1707247347403.jpg&w=728&hash=e69c2f9e4a57a7e80f0e0bea0523fe6f)
Becker continued to spend hundreds of pounds at luxury department store Harrods, bought online groceries at Ocado and treated himself to designer Ralph Lauren clothes, jurors had heard
![Becker found himself in an inescapable hole of debt and was declared bankrupt in June 2017 over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca (Pictured: Boris Becker at Southwark Crown Court with partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro)](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80929467-13052557-image-a-6_1707244682968.jpg&w=728&hash=f82f90ffb93fc3b65683df9a5d880152)
![Becker found himself in an inescapable hole of debt and was declared bankrupt in June 2017 over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca (Pictured: Boris Becker at Southwark Crown Court with partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro)](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F80929467-13052557-image-a-6_1707244682968.jpg&w=728&hash=f82f90ffb93fc3b65683df9a5d880152)
Becker found himself in an inescapable hole of debt and was declared bankrupt in June 2017 over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca (Pictured: Boris Becker at Southwark Crown Court with partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro)
He also allegedly hid around £950,000 from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owns in Germany, which was paid into his Boris Becker Private Office (BBPOL) account.
Becker was found guilty of removal of property regarding 426,930 Euros (£350,000) to nine recipients including his ex-wives Barbara and Sharlely 'Lilly' Becker.
He was also convicted of trying to conceal the ownership of his £1.8million villa 'Im Schilling' in his native Leimen, Germany, as well as his ownership of 75,000 Data Corp shares.
Jurors also found him guilty of concealing a loan of 825,000 Euros (£688,000) owed by him to the Bank Alpinum of Lichtenstein.
But he was cleared of all other charges including failing to hand over nine tennis trophies including those won at the 1985 and 1989 Wimbledon tournament, the 1991 and 1996 Australian Open and the 1992 Olympics.
Becker had previously attempted tax evasion worth £1.4million in Germany in 2002.
Each count carried a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. This afternoon, Judge Deborah Taylor sentenced the six-time Grand Slam champion to 30 months' imprisonment, of which he will serve at least half.
Referring to Becker's previous conviction, the judge said this afternoon: 'You did not heed the warning you were given and the chance you were given by the suspended sentence and that is a significant aggravating factor.'
And she told father-of-four Becker: 'I take into account what has been described as your "fall from grace". You have lost your career and reputation and all of your property as a result of your bankruptcy.
'You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy. While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility.'
As he was led away, Becker was red-faced and appeared to struggle with his overnight bag. His girlfriend Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro blew him a kiss before he disappeared out of the court to the cells below.
In an interview with 5 Live Breakfast, the three-time Wimbledon champion said incarceration was a 'real punishment' but that he had discovered that he is a 'survivor'.
Where is Boris Becker now?
Boris was released from jail in December 2022 on the early release scheme after spending eight months of his sentence in Huntercomb prison, Oxon.
The tennis legend was accepted on to the scheme which allows 'any foreign national serving a fixed sentence who is liable for removal from the UK to be removed from prison and deported up to 12 months before the earliest release point of their sentence'.
Becker was then deported to his homeland, Germany, where he has snapped up a new job as the face of a new German television advertising campaign, selling used motorhomes.
Becker was pictured last year in a shoot for Wohn Mobil Park, posing in front of a camper with the line: 'Visit somewhere else more often: exactly my thing.'
Visit also translates as 'serve' from the German.
![Boris Becker appears in an advertising campaign, selling motorhomes in his native Germany](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F77778737-13052557-Boris_Becker_appears_in_an_advertising_campaign_selling_motorhom-a-7_1707245382046.jpg&w=728&hash=a977a63a525e5087675487f1251668df)
![Boris Becker appears in an advertising campaign, selling motorhomes in his native Germany](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F77778737-13052557-Boris_Becker_appears_in_an_advertising_campaign_selling_motorhom-a-7_1707245382046.jpg&w=728&hash=a977a63a525e5087675487f1251668df)
Boris Becker appears in an advertising campaign, selling motorhomes in his native Germany
![Boris Becker is pictured with his partner, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, at the premiere of 'Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker' Berlinale International Film Festival last year](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F68046477-13052557-Boris_Becker_is_pictured_with_his_partner_Lilian_de_Carvalho_Mon-a-8_1707245388754.jpg&w=728&hash=0340faa0b5764f471eef55f10e038edd)
![Boris Becker is pictured with his partner, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, at the premiere of 'Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker' Berlinale International Film Festival last year](/thumb/phpThumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2F1s%2F2024%2F02%2F06%2F18%2F68046477-13052557-Boris_Becker_is_pictured_with_his_partner_Lilian_de_Carvalho_Mon-a-8_1707245388754.jpg&w=728&hash=0340faa0b5764f471eef55f10e038edd)
Boris Becker is pictured with his partner, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, at the premiere of 'Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker' Berlinale International Film Festival last year
Since his release, Becker has made a number of appearances as he looks to rebuild his public persona.
On Thursday, November 19, he announced his return to tennis as he revealed he was coaching the hugely talented Dane Holger Rune.
But, as the terms of his release from prison state he is banned from entering the UK - the icon was barred from Wimbledon this summer and will be still this year.
With the help of business-savvy partner and risk analyst Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, 34, Becker has secured a string of impressive gigs in spite of the conviction.
Lilian is the official managing director of BFB GmbH (Boris Franz Becker), and is now steering Boris's comeback course after his split from recent advisors.
In February last year, the German took to the stage at a film festival in Berlin to promote his film 'Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker', a documentary covering his triumphs, failures and everything in between.
In the film Becker is seen solemnly accepting his conviction and wrestling with his life's missteps.
Becker then pocketed a massive fee for doing a TV interview with German broadcaster SAT 1., chose to live in a boutique hotel, and soon landed a cushy job as a commentator on Eurosport.
Boris Becker: The rise and fall will be aired tonight at 9pm on ITV.