Becker’s financial woes culminated in legal trouble when he was found guilty of several offences under the UK Insolvency Act for concealing assets and transferring funds while bankrupt. In 2022, he was sentenced to two and a half years in a British prison for hiding assets worth hundreds of thousands of pounds from bankruptcy trustees, including failing to declare properties and business holdings that should have been handed over to pay creditors. His debts were reported to total tens of millions of pounds, and the situation severely damaged his reputation and future earning potential.
“If you remember any other wunderkind, they usually don’t make it to 50 because of the trials and tribulations that come after,” the 57-year-old told BBC Sport on Wednesday. “Whatever you do, wherever you go, whoever you talk to, it becomes a world sensation. Boris Becker says he regrets winning Wimbledon at the age of just 17 because he struggled to cope with the expectations that followed his first Grand Slam title. Becker defeated Kevin Curren in the 1985 final at the All England Club to become Wimbledon’s youngest men’s singles champion. The German, known for his flamboyant style of play, went on to win five more Grand Slams, including Wimbledon in 1986 and 1989, after his breakthrough triumph.
Becker won the 1985 final to become Wimbledon’s youngest men’s singles champion
Much of his wealth was diminished by costly personal commitments including an expensive divorce, substantial child support, high living costs and declining post-tennis earnings which left him struggling to manage large debts and loans taken out in the 2010s. In 2017, he was officially declared bankrupt after failing to repay a multi-million-euro loan on his Spanish estate and other borrowings.
