Published 11:20 IST, October 30th 2020
'Bankrupt' Boris Becker reduced to offering online tennis lessons worth 40 pounds in UK
Tennis legend Boris Becker has turned to providing online tennis lessons for a mere £39.99 in order to be able to pay back loans in excess of £3.3 million.
It was not so long ago, in 2013 that Boris Becker was a part of tennis glory once again. The 6-time Grand Slam champion took over as the coach of the World No.1 Novak Djokovic after the latter suffered a few Grand Slam finals losses and a dip in his rankings in the season. Taking over from Djokovic's long-time coach Marián Vajda, Becket led the No.1 to six Grand Slam titles and a career slam in 2016. The two parted ways in 2016 after which Djokovic fell to No.22, before coming back up to 1 again.
Boris Becker bankrupt, forced to sell off Grand Slam trophies
In 2017, Becker declared bankruptcy after defaulting on loans to Arbuthnot Latham & Co, a private banking firm. It was estimated that he owned the bank around £3.3 million (over ₹31 crores) at that time. In an effort to raise funds, Becker held an auction of his tennis memorabilia, including a US Open trophy, a replica Davis Cup Trophy and other items. The auction raised an estimated £680,000 but was not even close to the amount he needed to clear his dues.
Now, Becker has been accused by the Southwark Crown Court in London of failing to submit his Grand Slam trophies, including his Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal during bankruptcy proceedings. He has also been accused of hiding more than £1 million in cash from the court. He has denied all 28 charges made by the court against him.
Becker shot to fame when he won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon at the age of 17 in 1985. He defeated his title successfully the following year, defeating Ivan Lendl to win his second title at the championships. He won his third Wimbledon title in 1989 against Stefan Edberg.
In response, Becker has now been reduced to hosting an online tennis academy, offering online tennis lessons for £39.99. The package will provide students with 10 lessons, where they will be taught "the basics of tennis". The course will be available on the topleveltennis.com website and are geared towards all levels of players. The introduction to the course reads, "The basics of tennis play a crucial role not only for amateurs but also for advanced players. Learn from the tennis legend how to fulfil your potential!"
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Becker net worth details
According to the ATP website, Becker's career earnings from tennis stand at $25,080,956. According to celebritynetworth.com, Boris Becker's net worth is estimated to be $10 million. In 2001, he was accused by the German government of tax evasion and ordered him to pay €500,000 in fines. Becker's two divorces have also cost him heavily - his first one was settled out of court to the true of almost $14.4 million along with a few properties in the US.
Disclaimer: The above Boris Becker net worth information is sourced from various websites and media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures.
Image Credits: AP
Updated 11:20 IST, October 30th 2020