Germany’s tennis legend Boris Becker has been jailed for two and a half years. A verdict that upset many companions. Mario Basler, former Bundesliga professional with FC Bayern, Werder Bremen or 1. FC Kaiserslautern, has little sympathy.
“If I don’t have any money, I can’t live like a prince,” said the ex-national player on the RTL program “Stern TV am Sonntag”.
The tennis star did not take his chance to disclose his assets. Otherwise he might have gotten away with a year in prison. “That’s why he was rightly sentenced and has to be in prison,” said the former kicker clearly.
Becker verdict: Djokovic dismayed, Murray tough
Becker’s longtime companions from the tennis scene were dismayed in the days since the guilty verdict. World number one Novak Djokovic revealed that the verdict “broke his heart. He’s a long-time friend, he was my coach for three years, he’s someone close to me and who has contributed a lot to my success”.
The Brit Andy Murray was a little more reserved. The three-time Grand Slam winner Murray emphasized to the English “Mirror” that he himself was not very interested in the process and did not have much sympathy for Becker. He broke the law. Anyone who does that doesn’t deserve a special story, no matter who they are or what they’ve accomplished.”
Becker is now in one of the toughest prisons in Great Britain. In Wandswoth, he lives in a six-and-a-half-square-foot cell with another prisoner.
Theoretically, Becker can appeal against the guilty verdict or the sentence of two and a half years in prison. To do this, however, he would have to prove that the court was wrong. And he still has a chance: With good behavior, half of his sentence can be waived.