Former tennis star Boris Becker is debt-free. Here's what it means

Boris Becker could close the insolvency chapter: the court has ordered the remaining debts to be forgiven, his lawyer has announced. The former tennis star has reached an agreement with insolvency practitioners.

Nearly two years after being sentenced to prison in Britain, former tennis star Boris Becker has made significant progress on the road to a normal life.

Becker's German lawyer told the German News Agency (DPA) on Thursday that the 56-year-old man was no longer insolvent.

The UK Insolvency Service confirmed to the DPA that Baker's insolvency had been lifted on Saturday 27 April. With this procedure, all conditions related to the procedure cease.

“Following an agreement with his insolvency practitioners, Boris Becker’s private insolvency, which was opened in 2017, has been lawfully terminated by a decision of the High Court in London yesterday,” said a statement from lawyer Christian Oliver Moser.

The court ordered immediate payment of the remaining debts. This means that “our client is exempt from any further liability arising from the insolvency debts”.

London, Baker's City of Destiny

And so London once again lives up to its reputation as the place of fate of the German sporting idol, reflecting the splendor and melancholy of the former elite athlete.

Nearly 40 years ago, the Lyman native's star began to shine brighter in the British capital when, in 1985, he won the world's biggest tennis tournament, Wimbledon, for the first time.

Two more victories on the “sacred turf” followed, and with his often thrilling performances, Becker also won the hearts of the English and consolidated his image in Germany as the eternal “seventeen-year-old Limner”.

But London also had its dark side for Baker. Above all, the once-brilliant tennis champion suffered his greatest defeat here, when on April 29, 2022, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in a windowless courtroom.

Baker had hidden assets worth millions from bankruptcy trustees.

Detention was a dramatic experience for the former star. In prison, he came into contact with violent criminals, some of whom wanted to get their hands on him, but others who protected him as well, as Baker later recounted in dramatic interviews.

Time passed more quickly than expected: thanks to a special list of foreign prisoners, the German was released in December 2022.

The insolvency proceedings continued even after his release from prison

However, insolvency proceedings continued. Baker had to hand over to the insolvency practitioners a portion of the income he earned from advertising, interviews and other commissions.

Now the situation is over. It is not clear under what circumstances. According to Attorney Moser's statement, this is a confidential matter. Baker declined to “comment further on this procedure and other details at this time.”

This clarified some important questions for Baker. But one thing remains: the special regulation he took advantage of at the time stipulates that foreigners are immediately deported to their home country after their early release, and are initially barred from entering the UK.

But here too, time is on Boris Becker's side. According to what was reported by British media, the German will be able to return to his new country no later than October 2024. And recently, with his partner. Lilian de Carvalho MonteroHe made Milan his new home.

Wimbledon 'in my DNA'

And then? Will Becker commentate on Wimbledon tennis matches for the BBC as he usually does?

While in Germany, in the years before his conviction, he was the subject of almost exclusively gossip news and his relationships and affairs were also the subject of ridicule, he was always appreciated in the United Kingdom as an expert television commentator fluent in the English language.

In 2023, he has only been able to comment on his favorite tournament with Sky Italia from afar. But next year he could theoretically be there live again. “We are working towards 2025,” Boris Becker said recently at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.

“It's part of my life. It's in my DNA, there's no denying that.” Will he return to his former “living room” in the comment box?

“I hope so”. It will be a fitting comeback in the anniversary year and will bring great circles.

Benedict von Imhof, dpa