Processes – The two faces of Boris Becker – Panorama

London / Hamburg (dpa) – There are less than 48 hours between two appearances that could hardly be more different: At the tennis tournament at Hamburg’s Rothenbaum, Boris Becker was sitting in the stands with jeans, sunglasses and an unbuttoned casual shirt at the end of September.

At the press conference specially arranged for him, the 52-year-old chats in a good mood about his love for the Hanseatic city and about the best German tennis player Alexander Zverev.

Two days later, completely different images are transported. With a tight expression on his face – as far as it can be seen under the mouth and nose protection with the sponsor’s logo and the words “Stronger together” – Becker is on his way to court in his adopted home of London. He’s wearing a pinstripe suit and tie, his black peaked cap pulled down over his face.

Becker had actually long wanted to leave the anger about his private bankruptcy proceedings behind him. But it turned out differently.

On Thursday (October 22), Becker has another unpleasant appointment: his case was referred to Southwark Crown Court in London. The three-time Wimbledon winner and six-time Grand Slam champion wants to defend himself against allegations of the British bankruptcy authorities there at the beginning of his proceedings. The authorities accuse him – once again – of not having cooperated sufficiently in his proceedings. Becker vehemently denies this.

These days the two faces of Boris Becker are more present than ever. While some still celebrate what was once the world’s best tennis player even after decades, others see him as the slipped bankrupt celebrity. As a 17-year-old, the redhead from Leimen had catapulted himself into the tennis history books with his Wimbledon victory – and also into the public. Boris Becker has been in the limelight since July 7, 1985 – and every step he makes, both athletic and private, is observed and commented on.

Today Becker is a recognized TV expert for Eurosport and the British BBC. He is the head of the men’s department in the German Tennis Association and was recently chosen by Alexander Zverev & Co. to be the team leader for a new competition. He was recently again showered with praise for his analyzes during the two-week French Open. Eurosport extended the cooperation until 2023. When Becker chatted about his life for two hours last Wednesday during a visit to the Dessau Golf Park, he cast a spell over the paying audience with anecdotes, wit and self-irony.

But there are also the private missteps and the tiresome financial misery. “The subject of money was never superficial to me. Sometimes you have more, sometimes you have less. That’s why I never did anything. It was never a reason that I played tennis or work today,” said Becker in Dessau and assured: “I still earn two marks fifty.”

However, the past few years have not been quite as relaxed for Becker in this regard: In 2017 a British court declared the Londoner by choice to be insolvent. In the summer of 2019, some of his trophies were forcibly auctioned off – a total of 82 memorabilia such as trophies, medals or watches changed hands in an online auction.

In fact, bankruptcy proceedings in England can be completed after a year. Actually.

In Becker’s case, however, the bankruptcy conditions were extended by twelve years – according to which the ex-professional must submit to certain restrictions for insolvent people in Great Britain until October 16, 2031. The reason is that Becker should not have properly reported transactions from the time before and after the insolvency proceedings. It is now about similar allegations again. The competent bankruptcy authority is now conducting criminal investigations against the 52-year-old.

The boulevard, which proclaimed the then 17-year-old national saint, now rushes with relish on the fallen hero. All sorts of things have been written about him for 30 years, fortunately most of them are not true, said Becker in Dessau.

Will the process become a turning point in the Becker case? Wait. In any case, it can clearly prolong the plight of bankruptcy. “I deny the allegations against myself and will defend myself with all legal means”, Becker recently announced in his favorite medium, Twitter, and announced that his team “will prove his innocence in due course”. He put three exclamation marks.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201020-99-07763 / 4