Boris Becker recalls jail stint and says he's 'at peace' months on from release
Boris Becker says he 'finally feels free' after being released from prison in December.
The three-times Wimbledon star, 55, served eight months of a two and a half year sentence after hiding £2.5m of assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case.
Boris, who was deported from the UK in December, has now opened up about his sentence, saying his experience at Wimbledon helped him through it.
"My life as a tennis player prepared me for jail because the only thing that saves you at Wimbledon is your mind," he said. "You don't know how the match is going to be and jail is very similar - never know what's round the corner."
Boris Becker with his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro (JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)Opening up about how he feels to be a free man again, he continued: "It feels great to be free again and at peace with myself... Did I make mistakes? Of course. In my case my mistakes were reported around the world," reports Best magazine.
Roger Federer 'in talks' to join BBC's Wimbledon coverage in emotional return
The sport star is starring in a new two-part documentary called Boom Boom! The World vs Boris Becker, which showcases Boris' rise to stardom, aged 17, followed by his fall from grace.
There are some who suggest the German should retire from the spotlight following his time in prison, however Boris states he'd faced 'criticism for 37 years' and is not looking for anyone's approval.
The star laments he 'misses London' after being deported from the UK earlier this year. His deportation back to Germany was welcomed by 87-year-old mum Elvira, but not, it would seem, by former spouse Sharlely 'Lilly' Kerssenberg.
The pair met in 2009 and married the same year, with their son born in February 2010. However, they separated in 2018, shortly after the six-time Grand Slam winner filed for bankruptcy.
Earlier this year, the Dutch actress, 46, went so far as to compare Boris to the devil: "Boris can be charming and loving when he wants to, but also extremely hurtful with words. A devil," she told German media outlet Bild .
Lilly continued: "Prison didn't make Boris a better person. Boris lives in his world in which everything revolves around Boris Becker. It is not my fault he went to prison. He ruined his reputation all by himself. Boris doesn't care whether we're doing well or badly."
The actress also claimed on Piers Morgan: Uncensored last year reports the pair were technically divorced were false.
Suggesting Boris' dishonesty scuppered their relationship," she said: "We used to have an honest love," she added. "When I started to emancipate myself in marriage, there were arguments. Also because of Boris's lies about his finances."
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