London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 23, 2025

Boris Becker freed from UK prison

Boris Becker freed from UK prison

Former tennis great, jailed for hiding assets after declaring bankruptcy, to be deported
German tennis star Boris Becker has been freed from a British prison and will be deported from the country, PA Media reported on Thursday.

Britain’s Ministry of Justice confirmed he had been released. The Home Office did not immediately respond to comment when asked about his deportation.

The 55-year-old six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed in April for two years and six months by a London court for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets after he was declared bankrupt.

He had previously been convicted of tax evasion in Germany in 2002, for which he received a suspended prison sentence.

The former tennis great won his first Wimbledon final in 1985 at age 17, becoming the youngest and first unseeded player to claim the men’s singles title. He went on to two win more Wimbledon titles.

Becker had denied all the charges in relation to the London court proceedings, saying he had cooperated with the bankruptcy proceedings — even offering up his wedding ring — and had relied on his advisers.

He was originally required to serve at least 15 months of his sentence but reportedly received an early release as part of a programme designed to ease pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prisons.

Nicknamed “Boom, Boom” for his ferocious serve, Becker won 49 singles titles and had career earnings of $50 million.

He retired from playing in 1999 but remained a high-profile figure in the game with a commentary job for the BBC, before switching paths to coach Novak Djokovic to six Grand Slam titles between 2014 and 2016.

But despite the riches he earned during his career, he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

In April, Becker was found guilty of concealing £2.5 million ($3 million) worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.

Becker’s tangled private life has kept him in the headlines, including a daughter conceived in a brief but now famous encounter with a Russian woman at a London restaurant in 1999 while his then wife, Barbara, was pregnant.

He divorced Barbara in 2001 and married Dutch model Sharlely “Lilly” Kerssenberg eight years later in a high-profile event in Switzerland that was broadcast on German television, but the couple separated in 2018

His financial woes also kept him under the media spotlight.

In 2002, a court in Munich sentenced Becker to a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined him for tax evasion.

He was declared bankrupt in 2017 over money owned to Arbuthnot Latham bank.

In a surprising twist, he claimed he was entitled to diplomatic immunity from legal proceedings because of his role as a sporting ambassador for the Central African Republic but abandoned that attempt.

His barrister, Jonathan Laidlaw, said at the time of the bankruptcy he was too “trusting and reliant” on his advisers.

While sentencing Becker to time behind bars then, Judge Deborah Taylor said he had lost his “career and reputation”.

She said that while he had doubtlessly been humiliated by the proceedings, “there has been no humility”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
×