Boris Becker appeared at Southwark Crown Court, London in April 2022. Photo / Getty Images
Boris Becker broke down in tears as he described how a murderer threatened to kill him in prison.
The three-time Wimbledon champion said he feared for his life as the killer, whom he called “John”, told him in detail how he was going to die.
Becker, 55, revealed the harrowing details of his incarceration, in Wandsworth and Huntercombe prisons, in his first interview since leaving prison in the UK and being deported to Germany last week.
He was jailed in April for two and a half years over hiding £2.5 million ($4.8 million) in assets to avoid paying debts after being declared bankrupt. He served eight months.
The tennis star, wearing a black suit and black T-shirt, told German broadcaster SAT 1: “[In prison] I was immediately confronted with a reality that I had no experience with. It was dangerous. I tried not to look anyone in the eye and stay in my corner
Speaking to the German broadcaster SAT 1, the three-time Wimbledon tennis champion said his spells at Wandsworth and Huntercombe prisons had been a “hard lesson” that taught him to “look in the mirror”.
Becker, 55, wearing a black suit and a black T-shirt, said: “I was immediately confronted with a reality that I had no experience with. It was dangerous. I tried not to look anyone in the eye and stay in my corner.
“Wandsworth is really big, really dirty, extremely dangerous. There are murderers, paedophiles, drug dealers – you meet everyone. It’s about surviving. You go out of your cell and you need to save your skin – the guards won’t do it for you.”
He described an altercation with an inmate who had been behind bars for over a decade. It was unclear which prison. Becker said: “He wanted to kill me. He underestimated that other inmates would come to my help and threaten him. I was shaking so much, with the food tray in hand.”
Becker said he had made three friends in prison, whom he called “listeners”. He said they “saved my life” and he would “remain connected forever” to them.
“When you have fought for survival together, that brings you together. We needed each other,” he said.
Becker described how, in prison, he was a “nobody” and his triumphs on the tennis court didn’t matter.
He said: “You are only a number. Mine was A2923EV. I wasn’t called Boris, I was a number. And nobody gives a s*** who you are.”
Life became easier when he got prison jobs teaching fitness, English and math.
Becker also described how his friend Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, had wanted to visit him at Huntercombe, but was not allowed due to concerns about the football manager’s safety.
Behind bars there were meagre portions of food, a lot of violence and few opportunities to exercise, but it had given him a chance to “look in the mirror”.
He said: “It was the worst time of my life but perhaps I needed it. I had a lot of time to reflect and I recognised my mistakes. I think jail was good for me.
“I believe I rediscovered the human in me, the person I once was. I’ve learnt a hard lesson. A very expensive one. A very painful one. I think I’ve become a better man than I was before.”
He did not smoke or drink alcohol, and went to bed hungry, which had made him fitter.
Becker said: “Even if there was home-made schnapps there, the imprisonment was definitely good for my health.”
Reflecting on his trial, Becker said: “It was almost a matter of life and death. I was in church every day.”
He described not being able to say goodbye to his family after being jailed, adding: “I was taken straight away. It doesn’t get any more brutal than that.”
Becker rose to fame in 1985, aged 17, when he became the first unseeded player to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.
He was declared bankrupt in 2017 and, during his trial, said an “expensive divorce” and debts had used up his tennis career earnings.
In the interview he described arriving in Heidelberg after his deportation.
He said: “The first thing I ordered was sushi. And of course I drank a glass or two. It was the best beer of my life. I’m a free man. I don’t need to hide anymore.”