Boris Becker recalls horrifying experience in prison surrounded by murders, rapists and drug dealers

Boris Becker reflected on his time in prison, revealing the horrifying experience during his eight-month sentence. Becker said that he fought for survival every day in prison and being surrounded by dangerous criminals was extremely challenging to handle.

The German tennis great was sentenced to prison in late April 2022 for financial crimes during bankruptcy. He was released in December after serving just short of eight months behind bars and was immediately deported to Germany.

A year after his court trial and eventual sentence, Becker recently looked back on his experience, saying that those who feel prison time is not very difficult are 'lying' about the same.

"Whoever says that prison life isn't hard and isn't difficult I think is lying," Boris Becker told the BBC.

"I was surrounded by murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists, by people smugglers, by dangerous criminals. You fight every day for survival. Quickly you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection."

Being a legendary tennis player had no importance and gave Becker no advantage during his days in prison. The six-time Grand Slam singles champion said that he had to rely on his character and personality, particularly when he had no friends.

"If you think you're better than everybody else then you lose," he said. "Inside it doesn't matter that I was a tennis player, the only currency we have inside is our character and our personality. That's it, you have nothing else.

"You don't have any friends at first, you're literally on your own and that's the hard part, you have to really dig inside yourself about your qualities and your strengths but also your weaknesses," he added.

Becker was initially placed at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London before then spending the rest of his sentence at Huntercombe Prison in Oxfordshire.

Boris Becker opens up about challenges after winning Wimbledon as a teenager

Boris Becker during The Championships - Wimbledon 2015.

Boris Becker shot to instant fame by winning the 1985 Wimbledon Championships as an unseeded 17-year-old. The German admitted that he found it difficult to handle the fame and fortune that followed his early success. Becker said that he was unaware of best practices in business and finances and that a few bad decisions post his tennis retirement cost him dearly.

"I don't think there was a handbook written for how to behave, what to do and how to live your life when you win Wimbledon at 17. The fame and fortune after was very new," Becker said.

"Obviously I never studied business, I never studied finance and after my tennis career I made a couple of decisions probably badly advised but again it was my decision."

Becker, who lived in the Wimbledon area earlier, cannot return to the UK until October 2024. The German, who has been a broadcaster and commentator at SW19 over the years, will thus be unable to attend Wimbledon for the 2023 edition later this year.

Meanwhile, a new documentary on Becker's life, detailing his tennis career and prison sentence, was released earlier this week.