Boris Becker Reflects on Harrowing โPrison Experience
Tennisโค icon Boris Beckerโฃ recently โdetailed his experience โคserving time in โBritishโฃ prisons, โคoffering a stark look into his seven and a half months of incarceration beginning in 2022.
Initiallyโ held at Wandsworth prison in West London following his Aprilโ 2022 sentencing forโ multiple insolvency offenses, Becker wasโฃ later transferred to Huntercombe in โOxfordshire. In a recentโ interview with โข”Blick,” the six-time Grand Slamโ champion described the experience as profoundlyโค challenging.
“Prison – and โฃI can only speak โof English prisons – is an extremely dangerous place,” Becker stated.โฃ Heโ emphasized the constant uncertainty and risk, โnoting instances of death through suicide, violence, and serious โฃinjury.”Therโ is a number โofโค unreported cases, you don’t want to know. Allโค the timeโฃ was a permanent struggle forโฃ survival.”
Despite โคhis global fame, Becker found his celebrity heldโค no weight within the prison walls. “They didn’t care that I was a tennis player. โI was perceived as a tall, white German. Iโค was not really recognized as a star,” the 57-year-old explained.Becker alsoโฃ revealed experiencing fear for his life during his imprisonment. He described a heightened stateโ of alertness triggered by the threat โขof death, stating, “It means that peopleโ are notablyโฃ reacting whenโ they areโข concerned about death. Thenโฃ they can โคjump three โฃmeters higher than usual. Iโ experienced that twice.” Despite these moments, Becker maintained he โis โnot inherently an anxious person, โขsuggesting hisโ life choices reflect a โคwillingness to take risks. He characterized himself as “always a cross-border โorganizer.”
He described the prison environment as aโข “brutalโ world” governed by it’s own set ofโฃ rules. “It โis okay at night. Sometimes you hearโ screams and other things, but the doors are closed.โ Whenโ they are open again, everything โฃcan happen,” โhe saeid.
Looking back at the circumstances that led to hisโ imprisonment, Becker pointed to โa lack of adequate support during his โearly career. He stressed the importance of professional guidance,stating,”Your โown familyโ does not normally do itโค alone,you need professional help.” โHe contrasted his experience with that of Roger Federer, whom he believes benefited from a strong support system. โ”Roger Federer โคwas very lucky. His parents and wife wereโ in the matter rightโข from the start that he had a network and a โขdouble floor, so to speak. He โขknew that they were taking care of me.”
