TENNIS icon Boris Becker has opened up on his harrowing time behind bars.
The German, who once had a whopping net worth of £38MILLION, was declared bankrupt in 2017.
GETTYTennis icon Boris Becker was sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars in April 2022[/caption]
The German served eight months in prison before he was deportedAFP
GETTYThe 57-year-old has opened up on his harrowing time behind bars[/caption]
Becker, 57, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars for hiding assets and a loan from his numerous creditors.
He spent a combined eight months behind bars in stints at HMP Wandsworth and Huntercombe before being deported from the UK.
The monotony of being banged up did a number on the physical and mental health of Becker – who leaned heavily on his wife Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro to get him through.
He told Suddeutsche Zeitung: “This endlessness eats away at your soul and boils your mind.
“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.
“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. ‘There were several reasons for this: emotional stress, little food, no alcohol, no sweets.
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Boris Becker still bears the emotional and physical scars of his time behind bars
“Dinner was served at 4 pm. My wife said with gallows humour, ‘Boris, you’ve gotten so slim, shouldn’t we ask if you can stay longer?’”
Celebs who find themselves behind bars have, in the past, been given preferential treatment by guards.
But that wasn’t the case for Becker, who said: “I spent months establishing myself as a trusted and respected figure among the guards.
“My position as a stoic philosophy teacher and my duties at the gym helped me with that.”
Former Wimbledon winner Becker did everything he could to pass the time, including playing poker with Romanian inmates.
The decision to get mixed up with them, however, ended up having physical consequences.
He said: “After a poker game with Romanian prisoners that lasted several days, you ended up with a debt of £500.
“Of course, it was stupid and foolish of me to play poker with people like that, but I wanted to stick to the truth in my book; otherwise, there’s no point in writing one.
“After tennis, I played poker professionally for a while, so I thought, what could possibly happen to me? It’s just a little fun on the side.
GETTYBoris Becker leaned heavily on his wife, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, during his time inside[/caption]
You’ll never completely shake that time. You’ll take prison with you into your new life.”
Boris Becker
“But I played poker with real criminals who came to my cell and tried to slap me across the face if I didn’t pay up.
“If a friend outside of prison hadn’t solved the problem with a money transfer, I’d be a different person today.”
Becker is three years removed from his bid inside, something he admits will stay with him for the rest of his life.
He said: “You’ll never completely shake that time. You’ll take prison with you into your new life.
“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.
“I’m not a psychologist, so I can only say that things were different before prison.”
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