Boris Becker’s biggest fight of his career

Boris Becker went on trial in a London court on Monday over charges relating to his bankruptcy in what is the biggest fight of his career. Becker is accused of concealing his Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies, several properties and around £1.8 million.

The court case is latest twist in the former Wimbledon champion’s troubled post-playing career that ended in bankruptcy in 2017. At the time his debts were estimate to be in the region of around to £50 million.

The 54-year-old, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, faces a maximum of seven years in prison if he is found guilty.

The court was told in preliminary hearings that Becker owned a flat in Chelsea, London, as well as two properties in Germany, which were undeclared between June and October 2017.

Becker is also accused of removing hundreds of thousands of pounds by transferring it to other accounts, including to former wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Sharlely Becker.

The court also heard that he hid 75 000 shares in the AI firm Breaking Data Corp.

Becker denies nine counts of failing to disclose the trophies, seven charges of concealing property, two counts of removing property required by the receiver, five counts of failing to disclose details of his estate and one count of concealing debt.

He denies nine counts of failing to disclose the trophies.

Resident in London and fluent in English, Becker apparently will use an interpreter when giving evidence in a trial expected to last three weeks.

The case is yet another curious chapter in the life of one of tennis’ most troubled personalities.

But his private life was frequently in turmoil, featuring marriage splits and a bizarre incident when he claimed to be the Central African Republic’s attaché for sports, culture and humanitarian affairs to the European Union. That claim was used to try and claim diplomatic immunity from being pursued for further debt payments.

Becker received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of €300 000 for tax evasion of around €1.7 million in Germany and was declared bankrupt five years ago, leaving the tennis star to tackle the biggest fight of his career and to avoid another prison sentence.

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