Prison for Boris Becker: a new low point in his extraordinary life

Boris Becker lost. Judge Deborah Taylor sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months in prison. With good behavior, half the sentence could turn into probation. A tough defeat for the former tennis pro! Find out how this came about by clicking further.

The former tennis pro was charged by the London court with delaying bankruptcy. Supported by his attorney Jonathan Laidlaw, he pleaded not guilty.

Before the trial began, Becker told the newspaper Bild: "I'm glad that the process is finally starting and the court will make a judgment. The past five years have been damn long, the hardest of my life."

Becker was accused of concealing assets after bankruptcy proceedings were instituted against him in 2017. Trophies won by the former tennis pro also mysteriously disappeared.

Becker has lived in Wimbledon for many years. His house is not far from the famous tennis court where he became a star in 1985.

A lot has happened in Boris Becker's life since then...

Boris Becker was born in 1967 near Heidelberg in Germany. He grew up there with his sister Sabine. His father Karl-Heinz Becker was an architect and an avid tennis player. That is why Boris came into contact with sport when he was a child.

By the time he was ten, Boris Becker had already won several tournaments and gotten attention for his enormous ambition.

In July 1985, the hitherto almost unknown 17-year-old tennis player won the grand slam of Wimbledon. A sensation that made him famous overnight, just like his simple sentence after the win: "I just hit it."

Becker has been voted Sportsman of the Year several times and has won 49 titles, including 6 Gran Slam titles. The red-haired athlete was number 1 in the world rankings for 12 weeks.

In December 93 Becker married the actress and jewelery designer Barbara Feltus.

The couple have two sons together: Noah, born in 1994, and Elias, who was born in 1999 and is now making a career as a model.

In 1999, Boris father died. Around the same time, the then 32-year-old tennis star decided to retire from professional sport.

Pictured: Becker with his mother Elvira (left) and his wife Barbara (right) at his father's funeral.

In January 2001, Boris and his wife Barbara divorced. The reason was infidelity by the tennis player.

During his marriage to Barbara, the tennis star became the father of a daughter with Angela Ermakova. She's pictured on the right with daughter Anna in 2018. Becker did not acknowledge paternity until a test proved him to be the father. The story made tabloid headlines for weeks.

Shortly thereafter, a new headline appeared in the papers.  Becker was convicted of tax evasion in Munich in 2002, a case that damaged his reputation among the German public.

His promotion for an online poker platform and various failed business ventures further tarnished his image.

In June 2009, Becker married Sharlely Kerssenberg in St. Moritz. Since then, the Dutch model has been known under the name Lilly Becker. The tennis star proposed to her in front of cameras in the famous German show 'Wetten, dass....'

The couple bought a home in London's Wimbledon area in 2009. Their son was born in February 2010 and they separated in May 2018.

In London, Becker has worked as a commentator and tennis expert for the BBC. From 2013 to 2016 he coached tennis pro Novak Djokovic with great success.

Everything seemed to be going better. But it wasn't.

Insolvency came in 2017. His trophies and medals were auctioned off. Becker's lawyer, Jonathan Laidlaw, told the magazine Der Spiegel that the auction "raised around £700,000."

It became clear during the bankruptcy proceedings that certain trophies were missing. In addition, Becker failed to report other assets. Hence the charges against the formerly celebrated tennis star.

The only bright spot: his new girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro (pictured) is always by his side. Will she also be there when he gets out of jail?