The Rise and Fall of Boris Becker

July 7, 1985 — Boris Becker stunned the tennis world on this day when, as an unseeded and unknown 17-year-old, he became the youngest-ever Wimbledon men’s singles champion. Nine miles away, and 37 years later, he appeared in a London court and was sentenced to 30 months in prison after being found guilty of breaking UK insolvency laws.

Before his fall Becker enjoyed a glittering career: two more Wimbledon titles, two Australian Open titles and one US Open. There were also 13 Masters Series titles and an Olympic doubles gold medal. He was the first man to appear in seven Wimbledon finals. In all, he won 49 singles titles and 15 doubles titles.

And the crowds loved him. Charismatic, he became known as “Boom-boom Boris” because of his powerful booming serve.

He was born in the south-west German town of Leimen in 1967. His father, an architect, had founded a tennis club, and it was here that Becker learned to play.

He was doing so competitively at the age of eight and began concentrating almost wholly on tennis by the age of twelve. He left school in the tenth grade and instead took lessons with the West German Tennis Federation.

After his triumph at Wimbledon the honours and titles came in breathtaking profusion – as did the financial rewards. It was to be revealed in court that throughout his career, Becker earned £38 million ($47.6 million) from prize money and sponsorships alone, equivalent to roughly £100 million ($123.6 million) in today's money.

But his finances were to come under legal scrutiny and in 2002 a German court fined him €300,000 (£250,000) for tax evasion. He was also given a two-year suspended prison sentence. Then in June 2017 he was declared bankrupt in London over an unpaid loan on his estate in Spain.

This led to his trial in London which began in March 2022. He was accused of hiding assets worth millions to avoid paying his creditors.

After about two weeks of evidence, jurors found 54-year-old Becker guilty on four charges: removal of property, two counts of failing to disclose estate, and concealing debt. He was acquitted on a further 20 charges.

It is not known what happened to Becker’s millions. He certainly led a lavish lifestyle which included paying rent of £22,000 ($27,485) a month for a house within walking distance of the Wimbledon tennis circuit.

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that he may have lost a substantial amount of his fortune due to dubious investments in Nigerian oil firms, including a single investment of over £8 million ($10 million).

Becker said in court that his income reduced dramatically after his retirement in 1999 and he continued to suffer financially. He said that his "expensive divorce" in 2001 contributed to his bankruptcy, as well as his expensive lifestyle.

It was reported that the divorce from his first wife Barbara involved a settlement worth £12 million ($15 million).

In 2001 Becker was also ordered to pay a multi-million dollar settlement to a Russian model who gave birth to his daughter.

Becker's lawyer said in court: "He has literally nothing and there is also nothing to show for what was the most glittering of sporting careers – and that is correctly termed as nothing short of a tragedy.”

Author and tennis historian Chris Bowers believes that Becker will be remembered for his sporting achievements rather than his financial disgrace. He said in a BBC interview: “The day he dies, people will be devoting four-fifths of [their thoughts] to his tennis career.”

Published: May 20, 2022
Updated: June 16, 2022

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