NAfter almost eight months in prison, Boris Becker is free again. And soon he will be going back to his old job. At the Australian Open (from January 16), Becker is making his comeback as a TV expert on Eurosport. The former Wimbledon champion analyzes the games alongside commentator Matthias Stach (60). He is on the air twice a day with “Matchball Becker” and also comments on the top match of the day. His contract with Eurosport initially runs until the end of 2023. This had been suspended during his imprisonment and has now been reactivated. One thing is certain: he will also be shown on Eurosport at the French Open (from May 28th). He is also scheduled for the US Open (from August 28). Eurosport still lacks the rights there.
Becker and Stach will broadcast from the studio in Unterföhring. Entry to Melbourne, where the Australian Open is taking place, would be difficult for the ex-prisoner anyway: the Australian government does not readily issue an entry visa to people who have had to serve a prison sentence of one year or more. Mischa Zverev (35), who represented Becker as an expert during his time in prison, is no longer working for the station.
Becker, who was actually sentenced to 30 months in prison in London and was deported to Germany prematurely, gets an estimated 200,000 euros for the three Grand Slam tournaments.
At the BBC, which paid Becker a significantly higher fee than Eurosport, the door is closed for the time being. Becker had been an expert at the Wimbledon tournaments for the English broadcaster for many years. Upon request, the BBC said: “We currently have no plans to work with Boris Becker.” The BBC insists on an expert who is on site. However, Becker is not allowed to travel to England until further notice. At the earliest after his actual prison sentence expires at the end of October 2024, this can become an issue again.
The insolvency proceedings will run until 2031
Becker must continue to pay half of his income to the insolvency administrator. His hope: the insolvency proceedings, which will run until 2031, should end earlier. The court in London had extended the procedure in 2017 because Becker did not cooperate and was hiding assets. Originally, the process would have ended after one to two years, and Becker could have started all over again. So he has to keep paying.
Becker is nominally employed by his girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro (34) at BFB (stands for Boris Franz Becker) Enterprises Limited, which was founded in England in August 2021. The risk analyst has an Italian passport and her roots are in São Tomé and Príncipe, an island country in the Gulf of Guinea. Her father Victor Monteiro was Minister of Defense there. Becker’s income and the fee of 450,000 pounds (514,000 euros) for the Sat.1 interview flow directly into the BFB company account. However, Becker has to give up half of his salary. And the salary has to be reasonable, otherwise the British bankruptcy authorities would intervene.
The bankruptcy court in London put Becker’s debts at 59 million euros when he declared bankruptcy in 2017. This includes 37 million to Becker’s former business partner Hans-Dieter Cleven. However, he lost in court against Becker in Switzerland.
At Sat.1, Becker explained how much he has repaid so far: a finca on Mallorca worth ten million euros (went to the English private bank Arbuthnot Latham & Co, where Becker took out a loan of 3.5 million euros for the finca ), an apartment in the London district of Chelsea (where his daughter Anna lived) for the equivalent of 2.8 million euros, the parental home in Leimen for two million euros (where his mother Elvira has a lifelong right of residence) and “a bit of cash in the bank “. Becker “paid back over 16 million for a price of 3.5 million euros. That as a fact.”
In 2019, 80 memorabilia from Becker’s active time, such as Wimbledon trophies and tennis rackets, were also auctioned. Around 900,000 euros came together, which flowed into the insolvency estate.
The divorce from Barbara alone cost 15 million euros
How could Becker, who earned around 100 million euros in prize money and advertising, slip into the debt trap? The divorce from his wife Barbara alone cost 15 million euros. Becker had to pay a one-off payment of six million euros to Angela Ermakova, plus a monthly maintenance fee of 5,100 euros for daughter Anna. At Sat.1 Becker said: “Then there are additional tax payments, divorces, child support, which was not planned. At some point you won’t have anything left.” In addition, there were company bankruptcies and Becker’s extravagant lifestyle. He liked to travel in a private jet. The rent for his apartment in the London district of Wimbledon is said to have been 35,000 euros a month.
As this editor learned, Becker’s former manager Ion Tiriac (83) offered his help a few years ago – but Becker refused. He’s also a stubborn guy. Friends are safe: With Tiriac at his side, Becker would never have slipped into the debt swamp.
Becker does not currently have any major advertising partnerships. Only the sporting goods supplier Puma is at his side. “Boris Becker was, is and will remain part of the Puma family,” says company spokeswoman Kerstin Neuber. The advertising contract continued during the prison period. However, TV spots or advertising campaigns are not planned. Shortly before he went to prison, Becker bought a Puma bag in London to stow his things in – he chose the brand because of old ties to his partner.
The doors of the German Tennis Association are open to Becker
His long-standing partner Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, keeps his distance. “There has been no advertising partnership between Boris Becker and Mercedes-Benz for several years, and we are currently not planning a new one,” says a company spokesman. The Internet portal Check24, for which Becker advertised until he went to prison and advertised loans there, informed on request that the advertising plan for 2023 had not yet been finalized.
The doors of the German Tennis Association (DTB) are open to Becker. “Boris can do whatever he wants with us. In any case, he would be an enrichment, in whatever position,” says Vice President Dirk Hordorff (66). “The closest I can imagine is volunteering, like I used to do when he was Head of Men’s Tennis. But Boris can also have a full-time job. However, I am afraid that his salary expectations are in a different price range and the DTB cannot pay him.
Becker will choose to live abroad. He named Miami (USA) and Dubai as conceivable alternatives. Monaco, where he used to live as a player, is also a possibility. Becker at Sat.1: “I don’t know where it will take me. I have ideas, but I’ve become cautious about what I say about the future.”
The interview was conducted for the sports competence center (WELT, SPORT BILD, BILD) and first published in SPORT BILD.