Chris Evert welcomes Boris Becker back to tennis after prison release, says his time in jail could be a "silver lining" for German

Chris Evert is on board with welcoming tennis legend Boris Becker back to the sport in some capacity after his premature release from prison earlier this month.

Boris Becker was imprisoned in the UK in April of this year for concealing £2.5m worth of assets to elude debt repayment after being declared bankrupt. The sentence initially stood at two-and-a-half years. Becker was released after eight months under a British "fast-track" scheme for foreign national offenders.

The German, however, is barred from entering the country for the next 10 years.

Becker went on to give a detailed account of his time in jail to the German tabloid Bild. He highlighted how he learned a "hard" and "painful" lesson over the past several months.

Tennis analyst and former player Darren Cahill sympathized with his contemporary and hoped to welcome him back to the sport in some form or another.

"I'm looking forward to tennis welcoming Boris back to the sport. As a coach, commentator, mentor, advisor, anything he wants, as I'm sure the sport and the people within it will open their arms for him. We all wish him well," the Australian said of the six-time Grand Slam winner in a tweet.

Seconding Cahill's sentiments, Chris Evert remarked that Becker had duly "paid his dues." She is confident that his early release was a "silver lining" of some sort.

"Totally agree, @darren_cahill well said. He has paid his dues and sounds like he did a lot of soul-searching during his time in prison. There is a silver lining in this for him, somewhere. I wish him the best," opined the 18-time Major champion while quoting Cahill's tweet.

Boris Becker capped a prolific career in 1999 at the age of 31 after winning six Grand Slam titles. He subsequently took on the role of tennis pundit and commentator before coaching former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for three years beginning in 2014.

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Chris Evert sides with Prince Harry & Meghan Markle on their controversial Netflix documentary

Chris Evert at the Championships - Wimbledon 2016

Chris Evert has a fairly active presence on Twitter, and frequently voices her opinion on trending topics and pieces of discussion. The American recently gave her two cents on the freshly-released Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan. She commented on the divided discourse on the royal duo's revelations about their time amidst the British royal family.

Some have expressed their apprehension at the couple's withdrawal from royal duties. However, Evert opined that they have the freedom to make their individual choices and share their story from a more personal lens.

"A lot of judgement and controversy on both sides, but in the end, everyone should have the right and freedom to live their life the way they want to," Evert said in a tweet.