Boris Becker: “A prisoner wanted to kill me”

Moderator Steven Gätjen made it clear right from the start that Sat.1 had paid the three-time Wimbledon winner money for the interview. At the end of April, Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison because he concealed millions in assets from his insolvency administrator, which he now freely admitted. Now Becker needs money to build a new life. He will not be able to return to his adopted home of London for a long time after being deported. The fact that he was released after just seven and a half months is not a celebrity bonus, but is due to a special rule for foreign prisoners.

Becker spoke respectfully about his experiences behind bars. He repeatedly emphasizes his good contacts with some other prisoners - and it was they who rushed to help him in some difficult situations. “I was afraid for my life in some situations, including when serving food. Murderers, child molesters and drug dealers sit right next to each other. It’s about survival and protecting your own head because the guards won’t do it.”

Once Becker was scared to death. “I also had a fellow prisoner who wanted to kill me. He had already been in prison for 16 years. It is also said that prisoners have problems with the outside world after seven years and that their psyche is damaged. According to his own statement, he benefited from the fact that three inmates protected him during his imprisonment.

In prison just a number He was once a big number, but in prison he was only called A2923EV, as Becker reported. He has experienced a lot in a world that is foreign to him - and shares his experiences extensively. He kept sipping from a glass that, according to Sat.1, contained a sugar-free energy drink.

Becker with his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro. © AFP / ADRIAN DENNIS

Becker's change was obvious on the outside. He looked significantly slimmer, his hair was a little darker than before, and he was wearing a black shirt under his black jacket. “I obviously lost a lot of weight,” he said. “I went to prison weighing 97 kilos and then I was almost 90 kilos.” Becker added: “I felt hungry for the first time in my life, so I went to bed hungry. I thought that at the age of 54 I had already experienced everything, but that was new.” In prison he didn't drink alcohol, didn't smoke and ate very little for weeks or maybe months.

Get a second chance Becker had been celebrated for years, a sports idol like very few others. But in the years before his imprisonment, he was often ridiculed - especially because of his unhappy private life, especially in Germany. Now he seems composed, almost spiritual. “I made mistakes for years, had the wrong friends, wasn’t organized enough,” he said. In prison he had time to think and through stoicism he also rediscovered qualities that he had as a tennis player - such as discipline and presence in the moment. “This prison stay brought me back,” said Becker. He has now been given a second chance and it is up to him to continue on this path.

The 55-year-old clearly showed his love for partner Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro and his four children. The relationship with his older children Noah, Elias and Anna, with whom he often spoke on the phone, became closer during his imprisonment. Again and again, when it comes to his loved ones, Becker has to stop and cry.

His partner Lilian, whose birthday was on the day of his conviction - April 29th - always stuck by him. “I never had a moment where I had the feeling that something was falling apart or that she was losing patience or desire or love,” said Becker. Whether he wanted to marry her – Lilian had forbidden him such details from his private life. But he hopes that he will stay with her “forever and ever.” When asked about more children, he says: “I hope there will be a few more.”

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Boris Becker: “A prisoner wanted to kill me”

On the big TV stage, global star Boris Becker is completely at home after 231 days in British custody. During his first public appearance, the German tennis star repeatedly appeared emotional.

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