London (dpa) – Former tennis star Boris Becker took an important step towards normal life, almost two years after the day he was sentenced to prison in Britain. Becker's German lawyer told the German news agency on Thursday that the 56-year-old was no longer insolvent. The British Insolvency Service confirmed to DPA that Baker's insolvency will be lifted on Saturday (April 27). With the discharge of insolvency, all requirements related to this procedure end.
“As a result of an agreement with his insolvency administrators, Boris Becker’s private insolvency, which was opened in 2017, has been lawfully terminated by a decision of the High Court in London yesterday,” said a statement from lawyer Christian Oliver Moser. The court ordered the immediate forgiveness of the remaining debts. This means that “our client is exempt from any further liability arising from the insolvency debts”.
London is both splendor and sadness for Baker
This means that London is once again living up to its reputation as the fateful location of the German sporting idol; The splendor and sadness of the former exceptional athlete are reflected here. Some 40 years ago, Laimner rose to fame in the British capital when he won the world's biggest tennis tournament at Wimbledon for the first time in 1985. Two more victories on the “holy turf” followed, and with his often sensational efforts Becker also won the hearts of Britons – and enhanced his image. In Germany as the eternal “17-year-old from Leimen”.
But London also had its downsides for Baker. Above all, the once-shining tennis champion suffered his biggest defeat here when he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in a windowless courtroom on April 29, 2022. Becker had hidden assets worth millions from insolvency administrators.
Prison was a radical experience for the former international star. In prison, he came into contact with violent criminals, some of whom wanted to get him, but others who also protected him, as Baker later recounted in dramatic interviews. Time passed faster than expected: due to a special regime for foreign prisoners, the German was released in December 2022.
The insolvency proceedings continued even after his release from prison
But insolvency proceedings continued. Becker had to hand over part of the income he earned, for example from advertisements, interviews and other orders, to the insolvency administrators. This has now come to an end. Under what circumstances is unclear. Lawyer Moser's statement said that this is a confidential matter. Baker “will not comment further on this action or any other details at this time.”
This means that construction sites important to Baker have been cleared. But one thing remains: the special regulation that he benefited from at that time stipulates that foreigners are immediately deported to their home country after their early release from prison, and are initially prohibited from entering Great Britain. But here too, time speaks for Baker. According to British media reports, the German will not be allowed to return to his new homeland until October 2024 at the earliest. Recently, he and his partner Lilian de Carvalho Montero made Milan their new home.
Wimbledon 'in my DNA'
And then? Will Becker report on Wimbledon for the BBC as he has done before? While in Germany in the years before his conviction he was almost exclusively in the gossip news and his relationships and affairs also caused ridicule, and in Great Britain he was always appreciated as an experienced television commentator with a command of the English language.
In 2023, he has only been able to comment on his favorite tournament with Sky Italia from a distance. But next year they could theoretically be there live again. “We are working on 2025,” Becker said recently at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid. “It's part of my life. It's in my DNA, there's no denying that.” So will he sit in the commentary box in his former “living room” again? “I hope so.” It would be a fitting return in the year he celebrates his birthday – and the great circle will come full circle.
“Award-winning music trailblazer. Gamer. Lifelong alcohol enthusiast. Thinker. Passionate analyst.”
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