Boris Becker to be discharged from bankruptcy as German eyes Wimbledon return


Boris Becker will be discharged from bankruptcy in Britain after agreeing a settlement over his debts. The six-time Grand Slam champion was declared bankrupt in 2017 with debts of around £50 million.

Becker was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in April 2022 after being found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act. He served eight months of his sentence before being deported back to Germany.

People are usually automatically discharged from bankruptcy after a year. But an insolvency judge imposed special conditions on Becker and suspended his discharge in 2018.

The 56-year-old applied to lift the suspension and, according to his lawyer, a judge agreed on Tuesday. “As a result of an agreement with his insolvency administrators, Boris Becker’s bankruptcy, which began in 2017, was legally terminated by a decision by the High Court in London yesterday,” Becker’s Berlin-based lawyer said in a statement sent to AFP. “Becker is released from any further liability arising from the insolvency debts.”

Becker appeared to confirm the news on X (formerly known as Twitter) as he reposted an edited video about his discharge from bankruptcy and wrote: “Word.” It comes as Becker shared his wish to return to Wimbledon.

The former world No. 1 has not been able to enter the United Kingdom since his stint in prison as part of his release conditions. “I miss Wimbledon of course. It’s my favourite tournament, the greatest one. I’m working on all fronts to come back next year, 2025. That’s an option. But let’s see who I’m working for there, because I can’t be in the country yet,” he told The Telegraph.

“I’m the biggest fan of Wimbledon. I know the ins and outs as a player, as a coach, as a commentator. I don’t think anyone alive knows Wimbledon as well as I do. Ultimately you want to walk through the gates of SW19 and just smell the flowers again.”

The three-time Wimbledon champion also shut down claims that he couldn’t return to the UK for a decade. He added: “The 10 years not going back [to the UK] is rubbish, it’s not true. For me, after October 2024, [I can be] given permission from the Home Office. They decide, I don’t decide.”

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