Boris Becker is reportedly set to become a gym instructor during his time behind bars, after being sentenced to two and a half years in prison last week. Becker will serve time at Wandsworth Prison after being found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.
The German star arrived at the ‘rat-infested’ prison last Friday, however it seems the six-time Grand Slam champion could be set for a more comfortable stay than he first feared after being lined up for the instructor role, which could even include teaching ‘paddle tennis’, report The Sun.
Former governor of the prison Jerry Petherick told the publication: “Gyms are very popular in prisons. It’s a job a lot of prisoners want.” Despite Becker's sporting background, Petherick believes guards ‘would not want to show any signs of favouritism’.
The report also claimed that his fellow prisoners were yet to meet Becker inside, but a friend of a Wandsworth inmate believes the German will not get a ‘rough time’. Becker is likely to serve 15 months of his sentence, and is expected to move on from Wandsworth - which sits just two miles from Wimbledon centre court - at some point.
In an exclusive interview with Mirror Sport, Becker’s daughter Anna Ermakova revealed she was left stunned with his father’s sentencing, and begged the judge to spare him from prison for the sake of his 12-year-old son Amadeus. She said: “I tried to help as best I could by writing a letter to the court expressing my concern for my younger brother Amadeus.
“He is only 12 and he’s not going to have a paternal figure to support him at such a crucial time in a young person’s life. He’s going to start a new school soon making new friends and that’s hard enough as it is.”
Discussing her father’s two and a half year sentence after he hid millions to avoid paying debts, Ermakova commented: “Honestly I’m in shock about my father’s sentence. I wasn’t really expecting it at all.
“I was actually on the phone with my brothers after the verdict. We were in shock… I have been trying to support [my father] on the phone as best I can.I hope he is strong in such a difficult time in his life. I will support him and visit him whenever I can.”
