Tennis champ Boris Becker has said he won’t be attending this year’s Wimbledon competition following his prison release.
The three-time Wimbledon champion and former world No.1, was handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence last year after failing to declare £2.5 million worth of assets to avoid paying debts.
Becker, who was deported to Germany last December after serving eight months in the UK, previously appeared as a Wimbledon pundit for the BBC.
But despite returning to work at Eurosport for the 2023 Australian Open, Becker won’t be stepping back on UK soil anytime soon, let alone for the British-based sporting event, which kicks off July 3.
“I miss London, it is my favourite city in the world,” Becker, who has lived in the UK since 2012, said in his first UK TV interview since his release.
“I’ve been there for a long time. I’m going to miss Wimbledon this year. I have to take my time before I will be coming back.”
Becker began working for the BBC in 2002 after retiring from play three years earlier, and has commentated on many high-profile matches and finals.
The 55-year-old German star, who was reportedly released early as part of a program aimed at easing pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prisons, was speaking on a live stream from Dubai on ITV’s This Morning on Tuesday.
He also talked about his stint behind bars, telling the breakfast show that his “sporting history” helped him “survive prison”.
“You’re famous, everyone knows who you are,” he said of his incarceration.
“It can play against you. Thankfully they liked my personality.
“The only thing you have is your character and your personality. That’s your currency.
“If they think you have money, you have a problem anyway, so that wasn’t a problem with me.
“They liked tennis, they liked what I did,” he continued. “Tennis fans. My sporting history has helped me survive prison.”
