Boris Becker is being prepared for departure – Newspaper Kommersant No. 227 (7428) of 12/07/2022

The famous German tennis player, six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker, who is serving two and a half years in prison in the UK, may be released from prison as early as next week. The British authorities, according to The Telegraph, intend to deport Becker to his homeland, Germany. Recall that the ex-athlete was convicted this spring for concealing income and assets during bankruptcy proceedings. In Germany, Becker is already ready to be offered a job in the local tennis association.

Six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker could be released next week. Becker, 55, is currently serving time at Huntercombe Correctional Facility in Oxfordshire, where he was placed in May this year. As noted by The Telegraph, Becker’s release after only eight months was made possible thanks to the policy of the British authorities to reduce the cost of maintaining prisons. One of the points of this policy provides that all foreigners serving a sentence in the UK can be deported to their home country one year before the date of possible release. If they do not protest against deportation, their sentence is reduced by 135 days. Given that Becker could apply for parole after serving half of his sentence, the authorities considered that the conditions for his release were met. Note that upon arrival in Germany, Boris Becker will not have to serve his sentence – he will be free. But he won’t be able to return to England yet.

Recall that Boris Becker got into a loud scandal when it turned out that he deliberately misled the bankruptcy trustee, who was appointed to lead the bankruptcy proceedings of a tennis player. Bankrupt Becker, who has lived in London since 2012, was declared bankrupt in 2017. This happened shortly after he was unable to return to one of the banks £ 3 million taken to purchase real estate in Mallorca. However, after the launch of the bankruptcy proceedings, Becker, who was obliged to report all his assets, on the contrary, began to hide them. In particular, he concealed the fact that he has property worth £1 million in his native Lyman, did not report an available loan for €825,000, and did not say that he owns shares of about £65,000 in one of the companies. For such acts, according to British law, you can get up to seven years in prison.

According to Boris Becker, he did all of the above, only following the recommendations of his lawyers and financiers. He also said that after the end of his career in 1999, during which he earned more than $ 25 million in prize money alone, and taking into account advertising income – all $ 50 million, his money began to quickly run out. A divorce from his first wife, Barbara Feltus, cost Becker $15 million and a house in Miami. Soon followed by a fleeting meeting in a London bar with a native of Moscow, Angela Ermakova, which resulted in the birth of another child. Finally, Becker’s second wife Lilly Kerssenberg gave birth to his fourth child. According to the tennis player, it was the maintenance of children that cost him a lot. Plus, he could not get used to the fact that he no longer earns, as before, and continued to lead a familiar lifestyle. For example, just renting a house in Wimbledon cost him £22,000 a month.

It is not yet known what Boris Becker will do after his release, but the German Tennis Association is already waiting for him. Its vice-president Dirk Hordoff told Bild that the doors are always open for Becker and he will be able to take any vacant position in the association.

Alexander Petrov