He had never felt so alone, and he even had a fellow prisoner who wanted to kill him. Former top tennis player Boris Becker shares his emotional story of his time in a British prison after his release.
Becker, 55, said he was scared in a detailed interview with German television channel Sat 1. He said he feared being attacked by a fellow prisoner while taking a shower. Or fear of having to share a cell at risk of being hacked.
“There was a man who wanted to kill me,” Becker says during the conversation. “He told me exactly what he wanted to do with me.” The former tennis player then sought help and enlisted help from several “friends” inmates.
excuses
According to Becker, security didn’t take much action at the time. According to his own statements, the attacker had come to his senses after underestimating Becker’s position. According to Becker, he apologized a day later and even kissed the former Wimbledon winner’s hand.
The downed tennis champion is open and showing remorse. This is not surprising, because Becker is said to have received 500,000 euros for the interview. The main reason Becker was sentenced to 2.5 years in April was money.
Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017. He was in trouble because of an outstanding 4.2 million Euro loan for his villa in Mallorca. The judge saw evidence that Becker had withheld some of his millions from his trustee, including transfers to other accounts, after he went bankrupt.
The German was released early eight months later, thanks to a program that allows foreign inmates in a UK prison to qualify.
“Of course I was guilty”
“Of course I was guilty,” Becker says in an interview. “Life in prison is hard,” he said. “You are nothing in prison. you’re number one. Mine was the A2923EV. My name was not Boris.
Becker taught fitness classes in prison and taught English, math, and Greek philosophy. He was struck by the feeling that the door of his cell was closed for the first time and he was trapped between four walls. “It was the loneliest moment in my life.”
“Besides, I was hungry for the first time in my life,” Becker said.
Becker was visited by his wife every two weeks, and his two eldest sons also arrived. She didn’t want her two youngest children to see her like this. Becker received a lot of support from the sports world. His compatriot and former rival Michael Stich wrote him a three-page letter.
According to Becker, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp also wanted to encourage his compatriot with a visit to the prison. Klopp was eventually denied permission due to safety concerns. The prison didn’t want to cause trouble.
No Wimbledon for now
Becker names Miami or Dubai as possible new places to live to reorder his life. His work as a tennis commentator for the BBC during Wimbledon is not included for now: Becker was not allowed to enter Great Britain for the next ten years.
Source: NOS
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
