On the threat to life

“A prisoner wanted to kill me!” The fellow prisoner, who has been in prison for 16 years for murder, wanted Becker to do the laundry and also “verbally explained everything that he was going to watch with me,” said Boris.

However, the prisoner underestimated the fact that Boris now had prison friends through his position in British Huntercombe prison. Ten other prisoners protected him and told the man that he had to go now or else he would be beaten.

When Becker talks about it, tears come to his eyes. Then he describes emotionally how a reconciliation came about the next day. The man threw himself on the ground in front of him and kissed his hand. Boris then picked him up, hugged him and said: “I have great respect for him.”

Former Tennis player Boris Becker arrives at Southwark Crown Court for sentencing in London, Friday, April 29, 2022.

On his 30 months in prison

“It was the loneliest moment I’ve ever had in life,” Becker said in an interview with German broadcaster SAT.1 that aired Tuesday, recalling how hours earlier he had been unable to say farewell to his loved ones before being led downstairs to the courtroom jail.

The three-time Wimbledon champion was sentenced to 30 months in prison in April for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt. Becker would normally have had to serve half of his sentence before being eligible for release, but was released early under a fast-track deportation program for foreign nationals.

Becker, who was deported to his native Germany on Dec. 15, said he prayed daily in the three weeks between his conviction and sentencing, conscious that there was a chance he might not get away with a suspended sentence.

Arriving in Wandsworth, the 55-year-old Becker said he feared attacks by other inmates.

“The many films I saw beforehand didn’t help,” he said.

Former tennis player Boris Becker walks outside Southwark Crown Court. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

On food inside the jail

Becker said prison authorities appeared to have tried to ensure his safety, allocating him a single cell and getting three experienced inmates — or “listeners” — to guide him in his new life behind bars.

That included coping with the lack of food, Becker said, as prison fare was largely restricted to rice, potatoes and sauce. “Sunday roasts” consisted of a chicken drumstick, he said.

“I felt hunger for the first time in my life,” said Becker, who won the first of many millions of dollars as a player at the age of 17.

Violence was a problem, he said, recounting instances at Wandsworth and later at HMP Huntercombe where inmates threatened to harm him until others stepped in.

Bond with other inmates

Known for his showmanship on the court, Becker said he immersed himself in stoic philosophy while in prison and embraced the opportunity to teach fellow prisoners math and English — despite being German.

In November, fellow inmates managed to organize three chocolate cakes for his birthday, Becker said.

“I’ve never experienced such solidarity in the free world,” Becker said, adding that he planned to stay in touch with friends he’d made in prison.

For Becker, who rose to stardom in 1985 at age 17 when he became the first unseeded player to win the men’s singles title at

Wimbledon, the prison sentence was a heavy blow.

On his ‘fault’

Asked about the judge’s statement that Becker had shown “no humility,” he acknowledged in the interview that “maybe I should have (been) even more clear, more emotional” during the trial.

Becker also admitted fault.

“Of course I was guilty,” he said of the four out of 29 counts he was convicted on.

Still, Becker said he “it could have been much worse.” After retiring from professional tennis in 1999, the six-time Grand Slam champion worked as a coach, television pundit, investor and celebrity poker player.

London : FILE – This is a June 29, 2016, file photo showing Boris Becker at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. Becker has been declared bankrupt by a British court after he failed to pay a long-standing debt.AP/PTI(AP6_21_2017_000327B)

On new phase of life

Now he hopes to turn a new page and avoid the mistakes he made in the past — many of which he blamed on laziness and bad financial advice received from others that led to his 2017 bankruptcy.

“It’s up to me to keep going down that path and stay true to myself,” he said. “I believe prison was good for me.” Becker said he and partner Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro likely won’t stay in Germany, where privacy is hard to maintain. Instead, he suggested Miami or Dubai might become his next home.

But the former world No. 1’s time outside the limelight probably won’t last long.

Organizers of the annual Berlinale said Tuesday that next year’s film festival will feature the premiere of an as-yet untitled documentary about Becker by Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, with a red carpet appearance by the protagonist likely.

On plans for next 20 years ?

Where is he going? “I hope surrounded by my children. I hope there will be a few more.” The voice falters. Again tears at Boris.

“Everything that motivates me is because of my children. I hope that I can spend the rest of my life happily in peace and freedom. I’m happy, I’m motivated. I have to work. I’m not too bad about it. I’m grateful that actually all my partners stayed with me and gave me a second chance. I need to win back her endorsement.”

“I think I’ve learned a lot in eight months and six days and I think I’ve become a better man than I was before.”

– With AP inputs