Boom Boom, Wimbledon, German, prison: Everything you always wanted to know about Boris Becker (but never had time to find out)
From world No 1 and multiple Grand Slam winner to supercoach, Boris Becker is one of the biggest names in the world of tennis, even if he is not always in the news for the right reasons
Boris Becker at the 2023 Davis Cup
Who is Boris Becker?
Boris Becker is a former professional tennis player from Germany who went on to become world No 1 and win six Grand Slam singles titles. He is currently a leading tennis analyst on television and the coach of Denmark’s Holger Rune.
Why is Becker known as ‘Boom Boom’?
Becker ushered in a new era of power tennis in the men’s game. His lightning fast serve and attacking style of play, coupled an explosive all-court game and diving volleys earned him the nickname of ‘Boom Boom’.
How long was Becker world No 1 for?
Becker first ascended to the world No 1 spot on January 28, 1991, and spent three weeks at the top. In all, he spent a total of 12 weeks at the top, the last of which came in September 1991.
How many Grand Slam titles did Becker win in his career?
Becker won six Grand Slam titles in his career – three at Wimbledon (1985, 1986, 1989), two at the Australian Open (1991, 1996) and one at the US Open (1989). The German’s unexpected win in 1985 made him the youngest-ever men’s singles champion at the All England Club, a record that stands to date.
The only Major that Becker did not win was Roland-Garros in which his best performance was reaching the semi-finals in 1987, 1989 and 1991).
How much prize money did Becker win in his career?
The German one a total of $25,080,956 in career prize money (doubles and singles).
Who is Becker currently coaching?
In October 2023, Becker announced that he had joined the team of Holger Rune as the Dane’s coach. Earlier the German has coached Serbia’s Novak Djokovic from December 2013 to December 2016.
During their time together, Djokovic won six Grand Slam titles and 14 Masters 1000 titles.
Why did Becker go to prison?
Becker was charged with illegally failing to hand over assets and trophies worth £2.5 million to repay debt that was outstanding during his bankruptcy.
In April 2022, the German was found guilty by a London court of four charges under the Insolvency Act and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for the same. He was released from prison in December 2022 after having served eight months of his sentence and was then deported to Germany.
Is Becker married?
Becker is not currently married though he has been twice before. He married Barbara Feltus in December 1993. In December 200, the couple separated, and later got divorced in January 2001.
The German was briefly engaged to Alessandra Meyer-Wolden in 2008 but broke up later that year. He then married Dutch model Lilly Kerssenberg in 2009, but the pair separated in 2018.
What was the head-to-head between Becker and Edberg?
Becker’s biggest rival was Swedish serve-and-volley specialist Stefan Edberg. The pair met 35 times in their career, with Becker winning 25 and Edberg winning 10 clashes.
The pair also clashed in the Wimbledon final three years in a row – 1988 to 1990 – with Edberg winning two of those finals.
How many kids does Becker have?
Becker has two children with his first wife Barbara Feltus – their son Noah Gabriel was born on January 18, 1994 and their second son Elias Balthasar was born on September 4,1999.
In February 2001, Becker acknowledged that he also had a daughter, Anna, with Russian waitress Angela Ermakova. The German had a fourth child in February 2010, Amadeus Benedict Edley Luis Becker, with then wife Lily Kerssenberg.
How many ATP titles did Becker win in his career?
Becker won 49 ATP singles titles in his career, including six Grand Slams and three-season-ending ATP Masters Cup titles. He also won 15 doubles titles,
Is Becker on social media?
Becker is active on social media. He has more than 637,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), 329,00 followers on Instagram, and 371,000 followers on Facebook.
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