Prison turned me into a very cautious person

Boris Becker speaks frankly about his prison time in his new memory, “Inside”, published in Germany last week and which should be released in English later in the month.

In 2022, the former tennis star was imprisoned for 231 days in Great Britain for bankrupt offenses.

Becker spoke to DPA on the occasion of the launch of the book.

DPA: Is there something you learned from your stay in prison?

Becker: Yes, a lot. I thought a lot about the reasons why I found myself in prison, what errors I made, when things started to go wrong. It’s been two and a half years now since my release and my deportation to Germany, and my wife and I have lived in Italy since April 2023. We can be a little proud of the way we have rebuilt our lives.

DPA: Is there something that would make you say: “These were two, three, four lessons that I remember every day”?

Becker: I became extremely careful with people. My confidence was bounted. I was a person of people and I left everyone. This is no longer the case. I am very careful and I have only a small circle of friends. And I don’t think it will change anytime soon. I have already been burned. There is a saying: “Show me your friends, your circle of friends and I will tell you who you are.” My circle of friends today is quite respectable, but I do not show it, I do not talk about it.

DPA: How can you know which people are good for you?

Becker: Everyone should take a look at their own circle of friends and find out who is actually out of words. Who has remained, who supports you and who does not do it? Many people have turned their back on me and did not have time or had no more wanting to deal with me, and it’s okay. I now notice that most of them hit my door and I would like to play a kind of role again. So I notice that it shoots me and that this attempt to approach me is again trying.

DPA: Who is Boris Becker after the prison?

Becker: I think I thought about myself: what distinguished me as a tennis player? What were my strength? What were my qualities? What were my weaknesses? And I think I returned mentally at the time when I played tennis when my life was in order.

DPA: How does the border between the danger of prison break you and the chances of returning to your old forces?

Becker: There is a saying: “If you have been in prison for 10 years or more, prison will never let you go.” The mentality of the prison does something to your psyche. Prison is a punishment for the errors you have made. It hurts a lot and is sometimes even dangerous. Anyone who claims otherwise has no idea. English prisons may be even worse than the Germans. Although the 231 days were incredibly long, it was of course only a short stay compared to the long -term prisoners. You can recover. With the help of your family and your good friends, of course. I don’t think my prison time damaged me.

DPA: Before going to prison, you had an idea of ​​what it would be in the films. How do you see these prison films now?

Becker: With completely different eyes. What is never really shown in a film on prison, because it is also very boring is so long alone in your cell. And it’s the worst thing about prison. It is not when you are at work or when you interact with other prisoners, but that you simply spend all this time alone in your cell. This is the brutal part. But it never comes in films.

DPA: The people who have committed very different crimes are in prison. How do you manage this?

Becker: What is surprising is that there was no difference. A criminal in white collar was next to a murderer, and a murderer next to a pedophile, and a pedophile was next to a drug trafficker. No distinction is made between the crimes you have committed. It scared me and I didn’t expect it.

DPA: Did this feel gone at some point?

Becker: It’s like everything else: we get used to everything, even in the worst moments. You have to stop judging or condemning people. We all suffer in the same way, the solitude of the cell. We all eat the same food, we all have the same appearance. There is no difference in treatment. You must quickly lose this attitude “I’m worth more than you” in prison. You are not the judge in prison.

DPA: You are in the eyes of the public, you have always been in the eyes of the public. This means that people have judged you and have been your judges. You write that Germany has enjoyed your problems. Have you only had this feeling during your insolvency?

Becker: I have been a public figure since July 7, 1985 [ed.: Becker’s first Wimbledon victory]Whether I love it or not! Foreigners judge me, they really know me. I am popular with some and unpopular to others, in part for the same reason. I learned that I cannot please everyone and that I live my life. Abroad, I am perceived differently and I do not have this misunderstanding.

DPA: Can you imagine living again in Germany?

Becker: short answer: no. Of course, it also has to do with my desire for a private life, and with my desire not to have to read something on me every week – whether good or bad, it does not matter. And I think we made a very good choice with Italy.

DPA: What is the legal situation? Could you return to England and Wimbledon?

Becker: I would love to return to Wimbledon. Winning Wimbledon changed my life spectacularly and it’s just part of my DNA. We are in close contact with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice and we really work together to find a way for me to come back soon. But I can’t tell you when it is.

DPA: In your book, you write on your difficult financial situation even after your imprisonment – two and a half years, how would you describe it for the moment? Are you where you want to be at this stage?

Becker: I am not insolvent since April 27, 2024. I am part of the active population and I have to work hard for my income. I have not inherited or received anything. But I should not complain, I do a little better financially today and my wife and I build our assets together.

DPA: You now have another task in front of you: you are going to be a father again. Have you ever bought baby clothes?

Becker: Unlike the past, I try to keep my private private life, so I do not share everything with the public. But as the father of four, and soon five years old, I know a lot about babies.

DPA: Do you always take a tennis racket from time to time?

Becker: Yes, I do it. My wife likes to play – it’s more difficult for the moment, but she likes to play and wants to play with her husband, which I can understand. My children, my older boys, were recently in Milan and they wanted to play tennis with their father. So I did it. There are exceptions when I get my tennis racket again.

DPA: And how good are you?

Becker: “I think I could still fight you. I think I could even beat everyone in the room.”

About the person: Boris Becker is one of the most famous Germans in the world. In 1985, at the age of 17, he won the tennis tournament in Wimbledon. He then achieved many other successes, winning a total of six Grand Chelem tournaments. After his time as a professional tennis player, Becker continued to make public appearances. In April 2022, he was sentenced by a London court for having failed to declare the assets correctly in the bankruptcy procedure. He spent 231 days in prison.