Boris Becker - criminal charges

Elegant Point · Satellite level

Boris Becker - criminal charges

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Elegant Point wrote:
Boris Becker turned up at the Italian Open five months after he was released from a UK prison and deported back to Germany. The former world No 1 has made limited appearances at tennis events since but was spotted in the crowd watching Daniil Medvedev take on Holger Rune

-- Edited by Elegant Point on Sunday 21st of May 2023 04:44:14 PM

I think that is fine, he wasnt committing a crime against tennis, hes done his time and hes not a danger to anyone , let him get on with his life, I say.

im sure the daily mail will be up in arms about it - does he have no shame!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Djokovic talks about it around half way through this press conference

www.youtube.com/watch

Elegant Point · Satellite level

Boris Becker: The Rise and Fall is a story of greed, egotism, arrogance and chronic sexual infidelity. Above all, its the story of the destructive power of fame.

www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itvx-commissions-rise-and-fall-boris-becker-wt

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Elegant Point wrote:

Boris Becker: The Rise and Fall is a story of greed, egotism, arrogance and chronic sexual infidelity. Above all, its the story of the destructive power of fame.

www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itvx-commissions-rise-and-fall-boris-becker-wt

Has Becker collaborated with it or is it more of an outside looking in piece?

Rich2310 · Club Coach

Just watched Boris Becker The Rise and Fall.

Was never struck on him before and even less so now. The man seems to have no remorse imo for what he did.
He still seemed to deny everything at the end of the drama. Got what deserved and should have served longer before release.

dodrade · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:
Elegant Point wrote:

Boris Becker: The Rise and Fall is a story of greed, egotism, arrogance and chronic sexual infidelity. Above all, its the story of the destructive power of fame.

www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itvx-commissions-rise-and-fall-boris-becker-wt
Has Becker collaborated with it or is it more of an outside looking in piece?

Not sure, AFAIK he did with the Alex Gibney two-parter on Apple TV+ released earller in the year.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/19/boris-becker-returns-to-tennis-circuit-as-new-coach-of-holger-rune

Boris has got a gig as Rune's coach through the end of the season, ie Basle, Paris, Metz and, if he qualifies, Turin for the Tour Finals.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Looks like Boris time with Rune has come to an end...Boris saying he cant give it the time Rune needs. I think it is probably more likely Boris couldnt actually travel anywhere, or enough, outside of mainland Europe - US, Australia, Canada, China and UK would all be off limits with his criminal history, and mainland Europe doesn't leave a lot of the season (and only 1 slam in 4, and 5 out of 9 masters events)

But Severin Luthi also resigned from Rune a month ago, so there may be more at play than just Boris' travel arrangements

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
Looks like Boris time with Rune has come to an end...Boris saying he cant give it the time Rune needs. I think it is probably more likely Boris couldnt actually travel anywhere, or enough, outside of mainland Europe - US, Australia, Canada, China and UK would all be off limits with his criminal history, and mainland Europe doesn't leave a lot of the season (and only 1 slam in 4, and 5 out of 9 masters events)

But Severin Luthi also resigned from Rune a month ago, so there may be more at play than just Boris' travel arrangements

Nothing to do with travel, IMO, simply that Boris was obviously living on borrowed time ever since Rune s disastrous Aussie open

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
I do so hope that the BBC now drop him.

Without being all stiff British about it, I find it repulsive that the BBC employ the man, given his history.

His diplomatic immunity defence was just pathetic, and the stories about women quite horrible.

So, good, if this is the end of him as a commentator and in my face, then I'm happy.

From a Stu Fraser article in today's Times:

Boris Becker hopes to return to Wimbledon in 2025

Three-times champion, who is not allowed to set foot in the UK until October after serving prison sentence, would like to work at the championships in 2025

Boris Becker is hoping to return to Wimbledon in some form next year after revealing that he is already "working hard with the authorities" to secure permission for re-entry to the UK as a convicted criminal. The six-times grand-slam champion from Germany was deported from the United Kingdom in December 2022 after serving eight months of a 2½-year prison sentence. In April 2022 he was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act, which included hiding £2.5 million worth of assets and loans to avoid debts.

Under the terms of his early release scheme, Becker, 55, cannot return here until October 2024. This means that he has been unable to attend Wimbledon since 2021, a tournament with which he is synonymous as its youngest men's singles champion at the age of 17 in 1985. He also won another two titles at the All England Club, in 1986 and 1989.

Becker, who also lived in Wimbledon for many years, has regularly attended the championships since his retirement in 1999, both as a pundit for the BBC and as a coach for Novak Djokovic. While he no longer holds these roles, it is likely he would pick up work in either area at Wimbledon in 2025 given his high-profile status in the sport.

"Wimbledon has been my favourite tournament as a player, coach and commentator," Becker said. "It's unique, you can't compare it. I lived in Wimbledon a long time so I'm working hard with the authorities to have all the applications ready to be back for next year. We're working on 2025. It's a part of my life. It's in my DNA, you can't deny that." Asked if he would return to the commentary box at Wimbledon, Becker replied: "I hope so."

It did not take long for Becker to return to tennis after his release from prison. One month after his deportation from the UK he joined Eurosport as a pundit for television coverage of the 2023 Australian Open. He also spent four months coaching Holger Rune, the world No12 from Denmark, before splitting in February this year through Becker's lack of availability on the tour.

Judging by their comments, readers are split between those who would welcome his return & think that he is "a very insightful analyst and commentator", to quote one, & those who regard his as "a dreadful, biased 'pundit' whose command of the English language has become progressively worse over the years, making him incomprehensible most of the time", to quote another...

The recent move by The Times to ensure that archived versions of its articles no longer offer a means of circumventing the paper's paywall for non-subscribers means that there is no point in my providing a link.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Thanks SC for posting this!

Jan · Hall of fame

I can't say he rates highly on my list of commentators!!

indiana · Tennis legend

Jan wrote:
I can't say he rates highly on my list of commentators!!

... or human beings.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Jan wrote:
I can't say he rates highly on my list of commentators!!

Most of the respondents to the article agree with you, Jan, although one came up with a comment that would half-strike a chord with members of this board:

If he comes back, hopefully it will be at the expense of Annabel Croft and/or Andrew Castle.

while another subsequently made a different, interesting, point:

There are some remarks below which offer views on BB'S ability as a tv commentator. There is also an inference that certain long-term incumbents are not very good either. I sort of agree, ish, with some of that but to me I feel that tennis is perhaps the hardest sport to commentate on, on television anyway. Everything is there to be seen, it can be nigh on impossible for someone to add anything to the spectacle we are seeing unfold (and yes it really is a spectacle sometimes). We do need insight which is current, not voiced by former professionals who are sometimes obviously guessing. That can add to the pictures, but often the comments detract from them.