German tennis icon Boris Becker was released from bankruptcy court in London after a judge ruled on Wednesday that he had made “every reasonable effort” to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds.
While Becker did not fully repay the nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million) he owed, Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs stated that ending the case was justified given Becker’s efforts.
“Compared to other bankrupt individuals, ranging from uncooperative to cooperative, Mr. Becker falls on the cooperative side,” Briggs wrote.
Becker, aged 56, was deported to Germany two years ago after spending 8 months in a London prison for illegally transferring large sums of money and concealing assets worth 2.5 million pounds ($3.1 million) following his bankruptcy declaration in 2017.
In a London court, he was convicted of four charges under the Insolvency Act, which included removing property, hiding debt, and failing to disclose assets.
However, he was acquitted of 25 other charges, including nine counts of not surrendering his Grand Slam trophies and Olympic gold medal to bankruptcy trustees.
He got a 2 1/2-year prison sentence but got out early through a program for foreign nationals who get deported faster.
Becker became famous in 1985 at 17 when he won Wimbledon as the first unseeded player. He later became the world’s top-ranked player, winning Wimbledon twice, Australian Open twice, and the U.S. Open once.
He retired from tennis in 1999 and did coaching, commentating, investing, and playing celebrity poker.
Becker said he got into financial trouble due to laziness and bad advice, leading him to declare bankruptcy after owing creditors nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million), including over 3 million pounds ($3.75 million) on his property in Mallorca, Spain.
At a High Court hearing last month, attorney Katie Longstaff said the trustees didn’t oppose his request to end the case but didn’t fully support it because he still owed about 42 million pounds ($52.5 million).
Becker’s lawyer, Louis Doyle, said they reached a settlement where he must pay a “substantial sum,” including the outstanding trophies. Doyle said Becker had done all he could to reach this point.
