Boris Becker sends 5-word message of support to Chris Martin as Coldplay singer reveals struggle with depression

Boris Becker has welcomed Chris Martin's admission that the Coldplay star is suffering from depression. Six-time Major champion Becker has had his mental health struggles since retiring from tennis in 1999 and sympathized with the singer's struggles.

The German tennis ace was jailed in a UK prison for two and a half years in 2022 for bankruptcy issues and served eight months before being released. He was subsequently deported from the UK and lost his job as a BBC tennis pundit. Before his incarceration, Becker was also involved in several skirmishes in his private life that attracted public attention.

Boris Becker reposted the Rock History X (formerly Twitter) account's reveal of Martin's announcement, which they captioned:

"Coldplay's Chris Martin announces he has depression and gives advice on how to overcome it."

Becker added his own five-word message, applauding Martin for his candor:

"Chris is a wonderful man!"

Becker has revealed his admiration for Martin before. After Coldplay headlined at Glastonbury last year, Becker declared on X: "Chris Martin can play almost any song!"

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Boris Becker employed different techniques to cope with his depression

Top tennis meets the Olympics - Source: Getty

Boris Becker's fall from grace was played out in public, given the three-time Wimbledon champion's profile as a world-famous tennis star. His imprisonment marked a low point in a life that personal issues had beset him once his tennis career was over. Becker told the Independent.co.uk in 2023 his strategies for coping:

"It’s a very lonely place so you have to use all your strength and all your mental energy just to survive the day. And then if you have a little bit left, just to be hopeful for the future. And I think that’s what it taught me, is really trying to live in the now, because we don’t know what’s around the corner next week. If anything, I think that’s what was the most important lesson.”

Boris Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017, owing creditors almost £50 million, which was a challenge in itself. As a tennis player, Becker dominated the 1980s and 1990s, and he still holds the distinction of being the youngest-ever Wimbledon champion, which he won in 1985 at just 17 years of age.

Becker also won 49 career ATP singles titles and an Olympic gold medal for doubles in 1992 in Barcelona. After retiring, he became a much-respected coach, commentator, and pundit before his legal woes took him away from tennis. Recently remarried, Becker appears to be settling now into a comfortable retirement.