Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been sentenced to jail for two and a half years after he was convicted of concealing assets worth millions from his bankruptcy trustees.
Becker, 54, was found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act earlier this month.
Delivering the sentence at Southwark crown court in London, Judge Deborah Taylor told Becker she had taken into account his “fall from grace”, but said he had failed to show contrition or “heed the warning” of a two-year suspended sentence delivered in Germany in 2002 for tax evasion, which she said was a “significant aggravating factor”.
“You have lost your career and reputation, and all of your property, as a result of your bankruptcy,” said Taylor.
“However, it is notable you have not shown remorse or acceptance of your guilt, and have sought to distance yourself from the offending in your bankruptcy.
“While I accept the humiliation you have felt as a result of these proceedings, you have shown no humility.”
Becker, who must serve at least half the sentence, was declared bankrupt in June 2017 after failing to repay a bank loan of almost £4m on his estate in Mallorca and a £1.2m loan – at 25% interest – from the British businessman John Caudwell.
The former world No 1, who owed almost £50m, was legally bound to disclose all his assets in order to satisfy his creditors. But at a hearing three weeks ago, Becker was found guilty of concealing income from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership in Germany, which he paid into a business account. He was also convicted of failing to reveal his ownership of a £1m villa in the German town of Leimen, where he was born, and of hiding a £689,000 loan secured against the property, as well as shares in a tech firm worth £66,000.
Becker arrived at the court in a black taxi shortly before noon to be greeted by a media scrum. The German, who wore a Wimbledon tie, was accompanied by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiroa. Noah, Becker’s eldest son, was also in attendance.
Pushing for a suspended sentence, defence barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC urged Taylor to consider the “tragedy” and “humiliation” already suffered by Becker as a result of his conviction.
“He has already paid an extremely heavy price for his mishandling of his financial affairs, but also as a result of his offending,” said Laidlaw, noting that Becker had “lost literally everything”.
“He will lose any interest in any other property or assets he has. Boris Becker has literally nothing, and there is also nothing to show for the most glittering of sporting careers. That is nothing short of tragedy.
“It is not only a fall from grace, but the most public of humiliations of this manner. His degree of suffering – and it will continue – is punishment no other bankrupt in this country is ever likely to experience.”
However, Rebecca Chalkley, for the prosecution, accused Becker of “playing the system with bad faith”.
“He deliberately and dishonestly removed money and transferred it to various third parties, with the intention of removing money from the estate and as a consequence away from recovery,” said Chalkley.
Becker, a high-profile TV pundit and former coach of world No 1 Novak Djokovic, became the youngest Wimbledon men’s singles champion in history when he won the first of three titles at the All England Club as a 17-year-old in 1985.
The victory catapulted Becker into the global spotlight and, over the course of a career that brought 49 titles, including a US Open and two Australian Open crowns, he went on to earn roughly £38m from prize money and endorsements.
But a multi-million pound divorce from his first wife Barbara, combined with child maintenance payments and a high-end lifestyle, saw his fortune dwindle following his retirement in 1999.
Becker subsequently carved out a successful second career as a TV pundit, and enjoyed three successful seasons as coach of world No 1 Novak Djokovic between 2014 and 2016. By then, however, the financial woes that would culminate with his imprisonment had already begun to take hold.