Boris Becker has described how his eight months in a British prison left lasting scars, admitting the experience “boils your mind” and continues to shape his daily life nearly three years after his release.
The six-time Grand Slam champion, now 57, was jailed in April 2022 after being found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.
Once worth an estimated £38 million, Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017 and convicted of hiding assets, including property, shares and loan details, from creditors.
He was sentenced to two and a half years, serving time at Wandsworth and Huntercombe before being released in December 2022 and deported to Germany after just eight months.
Boris Becker has described how his eight months in a British prison left lasting scars, admitting the experience “boils your mind” and continues to shape his daily life nearly three years after his release
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Speaking to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Becker gave his most detailed account yet of life inside.
“This endlessness eats away at your soul and boils your mind,” he said. “You quickly realise that prisons are actually controlled by prisoners.
"Talking to my wife on the phone was my lifeline and the only way I could be myself.”
Conditions were harsh, too, with Becker explaining that he struggled to stay warm.
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“By October, I was sleeping in my tracksuit and socks. Some nights it was so cold in my cell that I slept in two jackets and two pairs of socks, wrapping a towel around my head. I lost seven kilos in the first four weeks,” Becker recalled.
Dinner was served at 4 p.m., and the absence of alcohol and sweets added to the strain.
His wife, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, who is currently pregnant with their first child, often used gallows humour to help him cope.
Becker said his fame meant nothing behind prison walls.
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Boris Becker had the support of wife Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro during his time in prison
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“I spent months establishing myself as a trusted and respected figure among the guards," he stated.
"My position as a Stoic philosophy teacher and my duties at the gym helped me with that.”
He admitted, however, to making mistakes.
Becker revealed he ran into financial trouble again after playing poker with fellow inmates and that he was threatened in the aftermath.
“After a poker game with Romanian prisoners that lasted several days, you ended up with a debt of £500,” he said.
“Of course, it was stupid and foolish of me to play poker with people like that. They came to my cell and tried to slap me across the face if I didn’t pay up.
"If a friend outside hadn’t solved the problem with a money transfer, I’d be a different person today.”
Though his sentence was relatively short, Becker says prison will always stay with him.
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Boris Becker has admitted that prison has stayed with him since his release
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“You’ll never completely shake that time. You’ll take prison with you into your new life," he stated.
"I can only fall asleep if the bedroom door is completely closed.
"In bed, I lie so close to the edge that I almost fall out. When I sleep, even the largest mattress turns into a narrow cot.”