Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker recalled his time in prison during an interview with Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond on ITV’s This Morning on Tuesday, March 28. He was talking ahead of the release of the new Apple TV documentary, Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker.
In April 2022, the 55-year-old was sentenced by UK courts to two and a half years in prison for hiding assets and loans that the court required him to disclose to creditors and the bankruptcy trustee. Boris was subsequently released from prison in December of the same year.
“You have to survive prison life. Prison is dangerous and a really, really tough place,” Boris told Holly and Alison. “Every day is a survival. What happens in prison stays in prison.”
Read more: Wimbledon legend Boris Becker has 'literally nothing' as he is jailed over bankruptcy
The former world No.1 tennis player added: “I was surrounded by murderers, rapists and people smugglers but we all share the same canteen.” He then revealed: “My sporting history helped me survive prison. Thankfully, [the inmates] liked my personality because it's the only thing you have. That's your currency," Boris added.
Discussing what he learned from his time behind bars at HMP Wandsworth and then Huntercombe, Boris said: “I like to think that I’m a bit more mature. I like to think that I make better choices now than I did before and it's a work in progress."
Becker was speaking ahead of the release next month of Boom! Boom! The World Vs Boris Becker, a two-part documentary which details the life of Becker and includes exclusive access up to his incarceration in prison. The documentary is set to be released in two parts on Apple TV+. The first part premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival in February.
Boris is currently in Dubai and told the This Morning hosts that he misses London. "I miss London and it's the best city in the world. I'm going to miss Wimbledon this year but I have to take my time before I will be coming back."
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