Boris Becker: Tennis legend has to go to prison

London It’s a bad blow for one of the most popular German athletes: Boris Becker has to go to prison. London judge Deborah Taylor sentenced the tennis legend to two and a half years in prison. At the age of 54, the exceptional athlete, who once stormed into tennis heaven out of nowhere, has now come down to earth.

After the announcement, Becker gets up with a stare, grabs a packed bag and is then escorted out of the hall through a side door by a judicial officer. He’s going straight to custody. Son Noah looks on in horror.

London has finally become a place of destiny for Becker: He celebrated his greatest victories in the British capital, winning what is probably the most important tennis tournament in the world three times. On the “sacred lawn” of Wimbledon, the 17-year-old Leimener once became a world star.

The tennis world was at Becker’s feet as he celebrated success on Center Court and applauded when it wasn’t quite enough. Becker has long lived on the Thames.

Now the city is inextricably linked to his greatest defeat. He must remain in prison for at least 15 months before being allowed to spend the remainder of his sentence on probation.

Many observers wonder how this could have happened. Becker seemed untouchable. It was only because of him – and superstar Steffi Graf – that tennis in Germany experienced an unprecedented boom in the 1980s. Millions cheered when Becker raced across Center Court.

Cheers erupted when the blond boy made the typical pike jump and made his jubilant gesture – “Becker-Hecht” and “Becker-Faust” are still rooted in Beatrix’s usage today, more than 20 years after Becker’s career ended.

The sky was the limit, it seemed after his successes on Center Court. Now Judge Taylor is deciding his fate in the windowless Court Number One at Southwark Crown Court – just a few miles from Wimbledon. It has been clear for three weeks that Becker is guilty of 4 out of 24 charges, a jury decided.

According to this, Becker concealed from his insolvency administrator, among other things, the ownership of a property in his hometown of Leimen and quickly and illegally transferred hundreds of thousands of euros to other accounts.

With his back straight, Becker listens tensely to the last presentations by the prosecution and defense. As on every trial day, his partner Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro – this time in a white suit – is at his side.

The couple arrives at the court holding hands. It has to be separated in the hall: Becker takes a seat in a large glass case as the accused, his girlfriend on the edge.

Sitting next to her is Becker’s eldest son, Noah. He carries the sports bag into the hall, which his father will later take with him. Becker – wearing a gray suit and a tie in the Wimbledon colors green and purple – is prepared for prison.

His last walk in the morning, still wearing a baseball cap and casual clothing, resembles a farewell round. The devout Catholic visits a church and buys a bouquet of white flowers, as reported by the “Bild” newspaper.

“He has practically nothing left”

Now the world star is faced with the ruins of his existence, as his lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw describes in emotional closing words. “He’s got practically nothing left,” says Laidlaw when he pleads for a lenient sentence. Becker will no longer find work and is dependent on the support of others. “The Becker brand is in tatters,” emphasizes Laidlaw.

The procedure is already the greatest possible public humiliation. He hadn’t presented his client in a friendly manner at the trial. Becker was naïve and acted unwisely, but he was not a common fraud, as prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley had portrayed him as. He just can’t handle money.

And Becker had a lot of money. He earned $25 million in prize money in his career between 1984 and 1999. In addition, there is about the same amount through advertising, as he describes in court.

Becker is surprised and appalled that such a crowd is suddenly gone. He has always relied on advisors, he says.

There are also personal worries. Ex-wife Barbara has to pay Becker millions after the divorce, he also raises a fortune for his daughter Anna Ermakowa, supports his current wife Lilly, from whom he is separated, and their son Amadeus. His lifestyle is upscale, he lives in a trendy area of ​​London.

In his native Germany, Becker has repeatedly become the target of ridicule and malicious joy because of his private stories – in Great Britain, on the other hand, he is still held in high esteem. People here know him primarily as a sports legend and as a tennis expert. Becker is in demand, also comments for the BBC. It is unclear whether the 54-year-old can continue working after his sentence. He now has 28 days to appeal the verdict.