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German tennis legend Boris Becker is one of the most revered sporting figures in history. But the former Wimbledon champion put a huge stain on his image when he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for hiding £2.5m in assets and loans to avoid paying debts.

Becker, 58, ended up serving eight months of his sentence in HMP Wandsworth, which is coincidentally only three kilometres from Wimbledon. In December 2022 he had served eight months and was let out, before being deported to Germany and banned from the United Kingdom for 10 years. Negotiations with the Home Office to cut that ban short are believed to remain ongoing. In a jaw-dropping fall from grace, Becker is now trying to build his life again, living in Italy with his partner. Here, Express Sport takes a closer look.

After calling the UK home since 2012, following his deportation Becker has settled in Milan, Italy, with 34-year-old wife Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro. The couple have just welcomed their first child into the world - Zoe Vittoria - who was born in November 2025. Revealing the news of her pregnancy on social media, Becker wrote: "A little miracle is on the way. The best is yet to come."

Zoe is Becker's fifth child and fourth different mother. He has Noah and Elias with ex-wife Barbara Becker, as well as Anna Ermakova from his infamous fling with Angela Ermakowa. There's another sibling for Zoe in Amadeus, who Becker had with Sharley 'Lily' Becker.

Becker told Germany's Stern magazine that prison life brought him closer to daughter Anna. "I'd never spoken so much and so regularly with my daughter. It took prison for us to get closer than ever before," he said.

"We're not the perfect family. But we have a mindset that unites us - we're family and in the end we always find a solution."

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, he explained why he chose Milan: "I've played well in this city, I've won the tournament four times; I've always worn Italian brands. My wife was born in Rome. And having another child at this age gives me the opportunity to take care of the baby more than I have in the past, if Lilian will allow me."

Becker was very close to becoming the coach of Jannik Sinner in early 2022. Sinner is now, of course, a tennis superstar, but in 2022 he was still a budding athlete with much to prove. In the interview with Corriere, Becker confirmed this to be true. He joked: "I thought it was a secret... I never talked about it. It's true.

"Two months later, I was waiting for the London ruling. I told Jannik: I don't know how it will end. I can't make the commitment. But I didn't want to leave him stranded, so I gave him a couple of names: one was Darren Cahill. For me, he's the best."

Now speaking about whether he would return to coach Sinner if Cahill retired, he said: "Darren won't quit. As for me, I was convinced Jannik could become the best. At the time, he needed to improve his serve and footwork, but he was unique; mentally, he was already a prodigy.

"Today, I'm in a different phase of life, my family is growing, and I have a new business. I don't want to be on the road so much, and perhaps the role of coach is starting to feel too limited."

Becker has spoken openly and honestly about his time behind bars and revealed to Corriere that he was afraid of dying on two occasions. "Twice. The second time at the end. My cell was at the end of a corridor.

"I come back from the refectory, and there's a new person in the cell of my neighbour and friend, Ike, a muscular giant with enormous influence. You never do that: your cell is a safe zone. So I say to him, 'Hey, what are you doing there?'

"He turns around, I have the food tray in my hand, and he starts yelling at me, coming at me. I respond. Luckily, seven or eight of them come up behind me, protect me - I won't tell you what they do to him. And they take me back to the cell. Ike arrives too; he knew him from before, and apologises for him. I'm shocked; I had a close call.

"This guy had killed two people at 18. Three days later, he comes to the laundromat where Ike works: he falls to his knees in front of me, apologises, and kisses my hand. I tell him: there's no point, it's hard for everyone here.

"I only realised later that he did it for Ike. I was part of a respected group. And respect had to be restored, or the boy in there would have had no chance. Prison is a tough, dangerous place, with its own rules. Prisons are run by the prisoners, not the guards. No one has any idea what goes on in there..."

Becker, like most deported individuals, is banned from entering the UK for 10 years, but he revealed to talkSPORT last year that he's working on changing this. "Well first of all I have to be allowed back into the country, because of my deportation I'm not allowed yet," he explained.

"I'm working closely with the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice just to give them enough reasons for me to come back. I love London, I love Wimbledon. I think once I'm allowed back I'm talking then with the responsible people at the tournament but I don't think that's going to be the issue. It's more me being allowed back into the country."

In terms of current work, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports recently confirmed that Becker is working for Eurosport Germany for their coverage of the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the year is now underway in Melbourne.