Boris Becker arrives at Southwark Crown Court (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Tennis ace Boris Becker has been unable to locate trophies from his glittering career and told a court “I wish I had them to show to my children”.
The six-time Grand Slam champion, 54, is accused of hiding honours including the 1985 and 1989 Wimbledon trophies when he was made bankrupt in summer 2017.
Giving evidence, Becker insisted he has been unable to locate the missing memorabilia, including his 1992 Olympic gold medal and Australian Open trophies, despite contacting major tennis associations, museums, and halls of fame.
The BBC pundit said he would hand over the prizes “tomorrow” if he had them, but told Southwark crown court the awards that tennis players take home are not as treasured as some think.
“For the player, it’s about winning the title. The trophy is not so much when you are playing”, the former world number one said. “Nowadays I wish I have them to show to my children.”
Becker explained to jurors that the trophy taken home by the winner is often much smaller than the one presented on court, suggesting Roger Federer had complained repeatedly about the size of one trophy while players on the tour “made fun of them”.
He added: “Obviously what you receive on the court is not what you keep. What you keep is usually given to your agent or manager, they take it and you usually are travelling to another tournament.”
Becker is accused of hiding his assets and continuing to spend his money before and after he was made bankrupt on June 21, 2017, over an unpaid loan worth more than £3 million with bank Arbuthnot Latham.
He had borrowed money to pay for renovation and repair work at his sprawling Mallorca complex, named La Finca, but said he struggled to repay the money while saddled with divorce and child maintenance payments as well as his diminished earning potential.
Giving evidence, Becker has said he was “completely shocked” when the bankruptcy order was agreed by the High Court, after an application by Arbuthnot Latham.
He was driving through Germany on media duties at the time, and said his advisor was “as shocked as I was” when he delivered the news of the court’s decision over the phone.
Becker said he did not read a series of key documents in the build-up to the bankruptcy decision, and insisted he was unaware of where the case could be heading.
“They didn’t tell me there was a real risk of bankruptcy”, he said of his legal advisors. “They knew I had the assets.”
Becker said he “didn’t ask” what would happen if he failed to repay the loan, after being served with a statutory demand, and said he had pinned his hopes on a private equity firm, Blue Sky, taking over the loan.
“I had strong hopes I would still be able to sell off La Finca to pay off my debts”, he said.
Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley accused Becker of lying about being shocked when he was made bankrupt, suggesting the tennis star had known since March 2015 that it could be a possibility.
“You were having numerous meetings with lawyers, you knew if you couldn’t raise the money there was a real risk they would take it to court and make you bankrupt”, she said.
Becker replied: “That’s not correct, I was convinced I was able to raise the money” and he denied accusations of trying to “minimise your awareness” of the bankruptcy threat.
Becker says he cut off ties with his lawyers after being made bankrupt, and did not open an information pack sent to his Wimbledon home two days later, insisting he took the unopened envelope directly to his new advisors.
“I got a lot of letter to my home, it was a couple of days before Wimbledon, a lot of invites”, he said. “On the Friday morning after I came home, I met with my closest friends and advisors and asked what should I do.”
Becker is accused of using his business account “like a piggy bank” for personal spending after being made bankrupt, and also faces allegations that he hid his stakes in properties in Germany and Chelsea.
Becker denies 24 charges brought under the Insolvency Act. The trial continues.
