Former tennis champion Boris Becker has spoken publicly for the first time since his release from a UK prison, describing his fears of attack and the loneliness he experienced behind bars. In a German TV interview, the 55-year-old said he learned a hard and expensive lesson but also rediscovered who he once was.
Becker was jailed in April for two and a half years for hiding £2.5 million of assets to avoid paying creditors after being declared bankrupt in 2017 with debts of nearly £50 million. He served seven and a half months, mostly at Huntercombe Prison in Oxfordshire, before being deported to Germany last week.
During the interview, Becker said he went to bed hungry for the first time in his life and lost 7kg in his first months inside. He described the loneliness when his cell door slammed shut at Wandsworth Prison and said he feared taking showers due to attacks seen in films. One inmate tried to blackmail him, and another threatened to kill him at Huntercombe in October, though the man later apologised.
Becker praised three inmates who he said saved his life and worked as a fitness trainer and teacher in prison. He received support from former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich and Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who wanted to visit but was not allowed. Becker's partner and older sons visited regularly.
