Wimbledon favorite Novak Djokovic supports the family of fallen tennis icon Boris Becker in their difficult time.
“I was really happy to have his girlfriend and son Noah as guests in my first two rounds,” said the Serb after his clear second-round win over Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis (6-1, 6-4, 6-2) on Wednesday .
Djokovic revealed: “Noah and his younger brother Elias will be visiting Boris in the coming days for the first time since he went to prison.” Becker’s eldest son Noah and his girlfriend Lily de Carvalho saw Djokovic’s victories on Monday and Wednesday in his box on Center Court. He has no direct contact with his ex-coach, “but I communicate with him through them,” said Djokovic.
He tries to “support the people around him, his closest people, his family members, because I consider Boris himself a family member who I value very much, who I respect and who I care about,” said Djokovic, who was once with Becker had experienced successful years as a coach on the tour with a total of six Grand Slam titles.
Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a London court at the end of April for offenses in his bankruptcy proceedings. “He knows and they know that they can always count on me for any support or help,” Djokovic said.
“Obviously it breaks my heart to see what’s happening to him. I can only imagine how difficult it is for his family members. It’s obviously a small gesture of friendship to invite them,” he said.