From the title of the first racket of the world to bankruptcy and prison (6 photos)

How the legendary tennis player sank to the bottom.

Great talent and successful career

Tennis player Boris Becker belongs to the category of athletes whose talent was revealed at a young age. It was already clear then that guy has a great future. And serious victories were not long in coming. IN for seventeen years, Boris won Wimbledon and became at that time the most the youngest ever winner of the Grand Slam tournament in the men's single rank. Imagine, already at 17, Becker was considered a tennis star - and not in vain. A year later, the athlete again came to the UK and won the second Wimbledon in a row.

By the age of eighteen, the German had earned his first million dollars. Money came not only from victories on the courts, but also thanks to advertising contracts. Boris's career could only envy. The young athlete quickly made a name for himself and became a leader the German national team. If in 1985 the German team with Becker in the stopped a step away from the Davis Cup, then a few years later the same the national team, which had not previously won such competitions, took two Davis Cup in a row. At the same time, the same Becker was the leader of the Germans, matured and gained experience.





And in 1992, the German became the Olympic champion in doubles. In addition, the tennis player continued to achieve success in the Big helmet." Only Roland Garros did not submit: Becker reached three times semi-final of the French Open and was eliminated.

In general, the career of the German athlete has developed very successfully. Boris was considered one of the strongest players of his time on the courts with "fast" coatings. The tennis player was especially successful in performances on grass and carpet courts. He served strongly and accurately, sharply attacked and rapidly went to the net, often completing attacks with volleys in jump. Another characteristic feature of Becker was the ability to fight up to the end and win those matches that initially went in favor of opponent. Boris knew how to find strength in himself and break the game in which later won a strong-willed victory.



Of course, Becker's sporting achievements made him a star and the idol of millions in his native Germany and around the world. Communicating with journalists, the first racket of the world did not hesitate to talk about it and suggested that it was his successes that could improve attitude of Germans to tennis.

The incident in the back room and the breakup of the family

As soon as Boris Becker showed his talent to the world and more or less opened up, presented the press understood: this charismatic guy is the one the one to pay attention to. And the journalists did not lose because Becker never got bored during his career or after its completion.

In 2001, model Anzhela Ermakova publicly stated that the father of her daughter Anna is a six-time winner Grand Slam tournaments Boris Becker. Everything would be fine, but completed career athlete was married. And in marriage, Becker had two sons.

At first, the player denied everything and claimed that he did not know no Ermakov. But the model was very persistent and helped the star reminisce about two years ago.

At Wimbledon 1999, Boris Becker ended his playing career and I wanted to go as far as possible along the grid. But Australian Patrick Rafter ruined all plans for the German and knocked him out in the fourth round. Vexed Becker went to a restaurant where he met Angela Ermakova. Her the mother was Russian, and the father was a Nigerian who abandoned the pregnant woman before the birth of a child.

After a short contact, Angela and Boris retired to back room - "the room with mops," as the tennis player later called it. After happened fleeting relationship, the athlete returned to his beloved wife and did not thought about Angela. True, after a while she herself got in touch and demanded money from Becker for silence.

The athlete did not want to pay, then Ermakova contacted him wife, and then completely betrayed the story to the public. was published and photograph of a possible daughter of a tennis player, whose resemblance to Boris caught the eye.



Becker's paternity was also confirmed by a DNA test, although the German assured that he does not remember if he had an intimacy with Angela. "I remember that we They danced with Angela, kissed, but then I don’t remember at all. I'm up I still can’t remember that there was a full-fledged intimacy between us, but the genetic test showed the opposite, ”said the annoyed player.

As a result, the ex-first racket of the world admitted everything and paid Ermakova two million pounds, andthe bottom undertook to pay each a month for 25 thousand pounds for the maintenance of his daughter. That was the decision court.

But the troubles of the player did not end there. Wife tennis player, learning about the betrayal, immediately filed for divorce. Becker paid ex-wife ten million pounds and gave a house in Miami, which was valued at two million pounds. In addition, the victim of marital treason gained custody of two children.



Assessing what happened, Becker called his affair with Angela Ermakova's mistake and "the most expensive five seconds" in his life. Even years later, Boris admitted that he regretted his casual relationship, destroyed the family in which he had two sons. Sportsman spoke about shame and guilt. The German emphasized that Ermakova caught him in that moment when he was sad and lonely when it was announced that he retires from tennis.

However, after a while, Becker rethought what had happened and stated, that he does not consider that connection a mistake: “I have a beautiful daughter, and now I don’t I want to miss a single minute of her life. I love her very much".

In 2007, Boris achieved joint custody of his daughter through the court, who took an example from her mother and became a model.

The desire to do business, spending and courts

Unfortunately for Becker, his problems did not end in divorce and payment of all debts. A new story has arrived. In 2002, the tennis star accused of tax evasion. It turned out that the athlete for nine years provided false information about his location. Officially, Boris lived in Monte Carlo, but in fact In fact, he was in Germany and lived next to his sister. It turned out that the athlete did not pay taxes in the amount of millions of dollars.

And then, as luck would have it, there was a 76-year-old Becker fan who for years he collected information about his idol, cut out materials from newspapers and followed the movements of the tennis player. Here is a lovingly put together "dossier" helped to prove that the player spent much more time in Germany, than shown on tax returns.



It was rumored that the financial adviser of the athlete told to his fellow traveler on the train about a scheme that helps that same Becker pay less taxes. And the fellow traveler allegedly turned out to be an employee of the Tax service and decided to check this chatter. As a result, Boris Becker had everything the chances of ending up behind bars and losing about ten million pounds. The athlete got off with two years probation and the payment of 2.5 million in as taxes and fines.

But that's not all. The fact is that Boris was burning with desire invest in everything that theoretically could earn. Here You can’t build a business on enthusiasm alone, but a full-fledged he had no understanding of how and what functions. For example, a tennis player launched his sports website, which a year later went into deep minus and was closed. And later, Becker's business partner sued him. for the fact that he did not pay 1.5 million euros to cover the losses. The squabbles ended with the fact that Boris still had to pay, at least the amount was less than what was originally requested.

Boris continued to invest, made mistakes, covered unplanned expenses and losses out of pocket, spending again. He even launched his own talk show, in which he himself was the host. On program famous athletes came to the star, but this story ended quickly. The audience did not see even ten issues.

Bankruptcy, prison and release

Worst of all, constant spending millions to nothing Becker didn't teach. He continued to get involved in stories and end up in courts in as a defendant.

In 2009, the tennis player's villa in Mallorca was put up for auction. due to the fact that he did not pay the debt to the builders and the Spanish authorities. Later the court decided to sell the property, but the athlete was able to return the villa, taking a loan.



Over the years of his career, Becker earned $ 25 million, not counting advertising money. By the time Boris retired from tennis, his fortune, according to various estimates, ranged from 50 to 160 million dollars. But the inability to manage money and a stable immersion in debts led to the fact that in 2017 he was forced to admit himself bankrupt. The catalyst was the very loan that Becker regained his Spanish villa. And now the athlete couldn't find 3.6 million euros to pay the bank. And the total debt was estimated at 50 million euros.

The court declared the legend of world tennis bankrupt and ordered disclose to creditors all information about their assets. Then Boris tried to hide some of his money. In particularand, he hid more million euros from the sale of a car dealership in Germany, did not indicate in the declaration several German properties and a bank loan of 825 thousand Euro. In addition, the bailiffs were unable to describe the championship Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies, as well as an Olympic medal tennis player, which could be attributed to his assets and sold on account repayment of debts.

By the way, some of Becker's sports trophies were still sold. Their searched all over Germany and England. The money from the sale went to pay debts, but this was still not enough.

The prosecution considered that Becker was not going to adequately solve their money issues and only used the bankruptcy system in personal purposes. As a result, the jury found that the tennis player knowingly He hid his assets so as not to pay his debts.

The Olympic champion was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Becker spent half of this term behind bars in the UK.

...The German Tennis Federation reacted to the recent release of Boris Becker. They stressed that as soon as the legend sport will completely serve its term, for it there will definitely be Job. The adventures of the eminent sportsman continue.