LONDON/WASHINGTON, April 30, 2022 (by Michael Dickens)

Hall of Fame tennis great Boris Becker has been sentenced to two and a half years prison time for hiding £2.5 million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.

Becker, a 54-year-old six-time major champion from Germany who now resides in London, was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act by a jury at Southwark crown court earlier this month. He was acquitted of a further 20 counts relating to his 2017 bankruptcy, which resulted from an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on a luxury estate he owns in Mallorca, Spain. Becker had faced a maximum prison sentence of seven years.

In handing down her verdict, Judge Deborah Taylor said Becker, who won his first major title as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon in 1985, had shown no remorse or acceptance of guilt. In referring to the tennis star’s previously conviction for tax evasion in Germany back in 2002, which resulted in a two-year suspended sentence, Judge Taylor said: “You did not heed the warning you were given and the chance you were given by the suspended sentence and that is a significant factor. 

“I take into account what has been described as your ‘fall from grace.’ You have lost your career and reputation and all of your property as a result of your bankruptcy.

“You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy. While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility.”

It is expected that Becker will serve half of the full prison term.

Ein paar Überlegungen zu #BorisBecker https://t.co/s4oPA6dgS3

— Jörg Allmeroth🇺🇦 (@Almighurt) April 29, 2022