Three-time Wimbledon champion Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in April for concealing £2.5 million. He did this to avoid debt after he was declared bankrupt. To occupy himself during that prison term, Becker teaches physical education and diet to his fellow inmates. But now comment.
“Normally you only get a job as a classroom assistant after years, because it is seen as a privilege,” says a fellow inmate, “But Becker got the job within weeks of his conviction”. Another inmate said: “It’s not exactly the luxurious life he’s used to, but he’s better off than most inmates.”
These statements are disputed by the government. “It is not correct to suggest that preferential treatment has been given,” the UK Prison Service said, “All inmates in prison have access to a variety of employment and training opportunities.”
The former tennis star threatens to be automatically deported at the end of his sentence in Great Britain. Although he has to serve half of his sentence anyway, because as a foreign prisoner he is not entitled to an electronic ankle bracelet. Becker himself hopes to be repatriated to his native Germany by November at the latest under the government’s early deportation program. Becker thinks he can then be released into the community before Christmas under the softer German penal system.