Boris Becker claimed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was barred from visiting him in prison by authorities.
The three-time Wimbledon champion was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in April after he was found guilty for four charges under the Insolvency Act. However, he was released last week having served just eight months behind bars.
And in an emotionally-charged interview tonight, Becker broke his silence about his prison experience. Details of the hour-long chat, included the former world number one claiming his fellow sporting compatriot Klopp wasn't allowed to visit him amid safety concerns.
“We are good friends and I gave his name to the authorities but then they came back and said that he couldn't come as he was too famous and they were concerned for his safety,” Becker claimed during the interview with Sat TV.
“I was allowed two visits a month and I had to give these names to the authorities so they could be checked out but it is a very slow process. The first time Lilian came she said she was shocked at how I looked – although she only told me that later.”
Mirror Sport has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
The six-time Grand Slam winner then addressed his time behind bars in more details. “Prison is all about survival,” he continued. “This is the detention centre for criminals from London. Murderers, child molesters. There was no mirror. Later I wondered what I looked like.
“I'm also shocked by how I've changed. I made the mistake of only taking black stuff with me. I wanted to look cool, to do a bit of a gangster.” During the chat, Becker candidly admitted his spell behind bars had been good for him and helped him get back to who he was before.
“But the whole thing has something important and good for me learned. And some things happen for a good reason.” However, the 55-year-old admitted he hated being caged with some of his fellow inmates. “You’re nobody in prison,” he continued. “You’re just a number. Mine was A2923EV. I wasn’t called Boris. I was a number. And they don’t give a f*** who you are.”
The tennis legend was jailed for two and half years but only served eight months due to the 'fast track' scheme. It sends criminals back to their native country before their release date easing pressure on Britain’s prison service.
Becker has lived in the UK since 2012 but qualified for automatic deportation due to being a foreign national who does not have British citizenship. He will now serve the rest of his sentence free in Germany and will not be able to return to the UK until after the sentence has expired and is granted permission.
