They once fought on the court. Now John McEnroe is sending a touching message to Boris Becker, who is currently in prison.
From rival to friend: tennis legends John McEnroe and Boris Becker fought for every ball. The former opponents now get along well. So good that McEnroe sent an emotional message to Boris Becker in prison via TV at the start of the lawn classic in Wimbledon.
“Boris, we love you. We miss you, man,” said the 63-year-old American as an expert during the “BBC” broadcast of the Grand Slam tournament. Moderator Sue Barker added: “We really do.” Most recently, McEnroe had already reported that he wanted to visit Becker in prison around Wimbledon (read more about this here).
Whether Becker will become an expert again is an open question
At the end of April, Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Southwark Crown Court in London, the second half of which is expected to be suspended. He had concealed assets worth millions from his insolvency administrators. Becker is now in Huntercombe prison in Nuffield, around 70 kilometers west of his adopted home of London.
The British TV broadcaster recently left open whether the 54-year-old will again work as an expert alongside McEnroe on the “BBC” after his prison sentence has expired. “No decision has yet been made about the future,” a spokeswoman for British public broadcaster told the German Press Agency before the tournament.
In Great Britain, Becker has been a valued TV expert for the “BBC” with interruptions since 2002 during the Wimbledon weeks. During his playing days he had won the tournament three times. He is the youngest Wimbledon winner in the history of the tournament. On July 7, 1985, at the age of 17, Becker defeated Kevin Curren at Wimbledon.