Boris Becker's biggest defeat: prison sentence for the tennis legend

London judge Deborah Taylor sentenced the tennis legend to two and a half years in prison. At the age of 54, the exceptional athlete who once stormed into tennis heaven from nowhere has now reached bottom. He is taken into custody immediately. Son Noah looks on in shock.

For Becker, London has finally become the place of fate: he celebrated his greatest victories in the British capital and won the most important tennis tournament in the world three times. The 17-year-old German once became a world star on the “holy turf” of Wimbledon. Now the city in which he has lived for a long time is inextricably linked to his greatest defeat. He must remain in prison for at least 15 months before he can spend the rest of his sentence on probation. How could it come to this? Many observers are puzzled and ask themselves how this case could have happened. It has been clear for three weeks that Becker is guilty of four of the 24 charges, as a jury decided. Accordingly, Becker concealed from his insolvency administrator, among other things, the ownership of a property in his home town of Leimen and quickly transferred hundreds of thousands of euros to other accounts without permission.

Now the world star is faced with the ruins of his existence, as his lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw describes in his emotional closing words. “He has practically nothing left,” said Laidlaw as he asked for a lenient sentence. Becker will no longer find work and is dependent on support from others. “The Becker brand is in shambles,” emphasizes Laidlaw. The process is already the greatest possible humiliation. He hadn't portrayed his client in a particularly friendly manner during the trial. Becker was naive and acted unwisely, but he was not the common fraud that prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley had portrayed him as. He just couldn't handle money. “He’s naive, but he’s not a common fraud.” Jonathan Laidlaw, lawyer for Boris Becker And Becker had a lot of money. He earned $25 million in prize money in his career between 1984 and 1999. In addition, about the same amount comes from advertising, as he describes in court. Becker is surprised and horrified that such a crowd is suddenly gone. He says he always relied on advisors. There are also personal concerns. Becker's ex-wife Barbara has to pay millions after the divorce. He also raises a fortune for his daughter Anna Ermakowa and supports his current wife Lilly, from whom he is separated, and their son Amadeus. His lifestyle is upscale, he lives in a fashionable area of London. The ex-tennis star appeared at the trial together with his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro. © APA/afp / ADRIAN DENNIS

In his native Germany, Becker has repeatedly become the target of ridicule and gloating because of his private stories - but in Great Britain he is still highly valued. Here people know him primarily as a sports legend and as a tennis expert. Becker is in demand and also comments for the BBC. It remains to be seen whether the 54-year-old will be able to continue working after his sentence. He now has 28 days to appeal the verdict.

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Boris Becker's biggest defeat: prison sentence for the tennis legend

In Wimbledon he won what is probably the most important tennis tournament in the world three times - just a few kilometers away he is now finally on the ground. It is a terrible blow for one of the most popular German athletes: Boris Becker has to go to prison.

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