His sentence to two and a half years in prison on Friday by a London court for fraudulent bankruptcy is not the first.

In 2002, he had already received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 500,000 euros after a long dispute with the German tax authorities who accused him of having declared himself a Monegasque resident when he was in fact living in Munich.

In 2017, a London court declared him bankrupt following bad business in various sectors (ready-to-wear, car sales, etc.), which forced him to sell some of his trophies at auction to mop up a debt estimated at 59 million euros.

On the courts, the German with six Grand Slam titles (3 Wimbledon, 2 Australian Open and 1 US Open between 1985 and 1996), now 54, gave the impression of immense confidence in him.

In reality, he was a fragile man, who always struggled with the burden of fame.

"Farewell to freedom! The pressure has become superhuman".

This is how the child from Leimen, Baden-Württemberg, summed up his state of mind once the euphoria of his 1985 victory on the London turf had evaporated, in his autobiography ("The player").

The first German to win a Grand Slam, he instantly became a superstar in his country.

His sentimental adventures, his tumultuous relationships with his coaches, his whole life, would now be scrutinized and commented on.

Boris Becker with Andre Agassi (right) on June 7, 1991 in the French Open semi-final at Rolmand-Garros, won by the American PIERRE VERDY, - AFP/Archives

Addicted to sleeping pills

Harassed by blackmailers, inundated with letters, some of which were threatening, pursued by the paparazzi, he had to be protected by bodyguards to go shopping or to attend the matches of his favorite football club, Bayern Munich.

He suffered above all from being extolled one day and vilified the following week according to his results.

"The callousness, intransigence and intolerance I faced shocked me. I started building a brick wall around myself and that's how I survived" , he explained.

To fight against stress, he relied on sleeping pills (often washed down with beer and whisky) on which he became dependent.

He emerged at incongruous times, in the fog, like the day of the 1990 Wimbledon final, which he lost to Stefan Edberg.

Boris Becker on June 29, 1995 in a second round match against Sweden's Jan Apell at Wimbledon, the tournament he won three times during his career FRANK LEONHARDT AFP/Archives

At the age of 23, he even took the decision to announce his retirement after the 1991 Wimbledon final, in the event of victory only, because he "was tired of a life in which everything ( he) did was kick a ball".

But he lost against his compatriot Michael Stich.

His track record is rich but remains below his potential.

In addition to his six Grand Slam titles, he won 43 other tournaments, including three Masters, was world No.1, Olympic champion in doubles with Stich in 1992 and gave Germany its first two Davis Cups.

But for Ion Tiriac, his first mentor, he "should have earned three times more".

Djokovic's coach

The German could be a bulldozer who destroyed the opponent with two strokes of the racket: "Boom Boom" as he was nicknamed.

His serve was his best weapon and his presence at the net, where his dives delighted the public, did the rest, especially on grass and on hard courts, much less on clay.

His garden was Wimbledon, where he played seven finals, Bont three in a row against one of his great competitors, Stefan Edberg (one win, two losses).

Another great rival was Ivan Lendl whom he beat in three finals at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open.

After his career, he bought a house in London where he settled down to spend a retirement that was far from peaceful, between painful marital relations, trouble with the taxman and failed investments.

In 2000, he divorced his first wife Barbara, who accused him of having had, while she was pregnant, a brief relationship with another woman in a restaurant in London, from whom a daughter was born.

The breakup cost him $25 million, his Miami property and custody of his first two children.

After his career, however, he did not only experience failures.

As a coach, he helped Novak Djokovic win six major titles (from 2014 to 2016) and as a consultant for the BBC he was appreciated for his humor during Wimbledon.

© 2022 AFP