Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Boris Becker reveals shock and embarrassment over bankruptcy

Boris Becker reveals shock and embarrassment over bankruptcy

Ex-tennis star Boris Becker has spoken of his shock and embarrassment at being declared bankrupt, as a trial into his alleged failure to declare assets continues.

The six-time Grand Slam champion told Southwark Crown Court the bad publicity damaged "brand Becker" and reduced his earnings.

Mr Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017 and is accused of failing to hand over assets including trophies and medals.

He denies 24 charges against him.

The court heard the bankruptcy decision came days before that year's two-week Wimbledon tournament, where he was working for the BBC as well as Australian and Japanese television.

Becker said he felt "very embarrassed", adding: "Because it was all over world news, and I walked through the gate of Wimbledon and everyone knew. I was embarrassed because I was bankrupt."

He told jurors the bankruptcy was also in the midst of a "stressful time" with his then wife Sharlely "Lilly" Becker, while they were living in "separate quarters" at a £22,000-a-month rented house in Wimbledon, south-west London.

Becker, who arrived at court hand in hand with his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, sat at the witness box on Monday to give evidence, as the jury was told he has injuries to his ankle and knees.

His barrister, Jonathan Laidlaw QC, took him through his career after he was catapulted to stardom when he became the youngest player to win the Wimbledon men's singles titles, aged 17, in 1985.

The court heard the former world number one earned a "vast amount" of money, winning about $50 million (£38m) in prize money and sponsorship deals.

He said he helped his parents build a house in his native Germany and paid cash for a family home in Munich, a property in Miami, Florida, and an estate in Mallorca, which was worth about €50 million (£42m) at the height of the property market.

'Expensive divorce'


But Becker, who went on to coach current world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, work as a BBC commentator and act as a brand ambassador for firms including Puma, said his earnings "reduced dramatically" following his retirement in 1999.

He said he was involved in an "expensive divorce" from ex-wife Barbara Becker in 2001, involving high maintenance payments to their two sons, and had to support his daughter Anna Ermakova and her mother, in a deal which included a £2.5m Chelsea flat.

German national Becker, who was resident in Monte Carlo and Switzerland before moving to the UK in 2012, said he had "expensive lifestyle commitments", including millions owed to Swiss authorities as well as in Germany.

He said the bankruptcy had restricted his ability to earn money, explaining: "[It is] very difficult when you are bankrupt and in the headlines every week for it. [It is] very difficult to make a lot of money with my name."

The 24 charges Mr Becker has been accused of include:

* Nine counts of failing to deliver up trophies and other awards

* Seven counts of concealing property totalling more than €1.5m

* Five counts of failing to disclose estate, including the properties in Germany and London, shares and a bank account

* Two of removal of property amounting to almost €500,000

* One of concealing €825,000 of debt

The trial, which is expected to last up to three weeks, continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×