Boris Becker's tennis trophies come under the hammer
Numerous trophies and other memorabilia from the successful career of Germany's tennis idol Boris Becker come under the hammer in a two and a half week forced auction. The online auction of the British auction house Wyles Hardy started on Monday evening and runs until July 11th. The proceeds are intended to pay part of Becker's debts.
by SID
last edit: Jun 26, 2019, 10:22 am
A total of 82 items are for sale at the auction. Among other things, trophies, including a replica of the trophy for one of Beckers' three Wimbledon victories, but also watches, medals, tennis rackets, photos, used socks and signed shoes can be bought. The 51-year-old had won 49 tournaments during his active career, including six Grand Slams.
A bankruptcy judge in London declared Becker insolvent in June 2017 because of unpaid debts. The auction was supposed to take place a year ago, but was stopped.
Becker had initially stated that as the sports attache of the Central African Republic's representation to the EU in Brussels, he enjoyed diplomatic immunity. The State Department of the African State disagreed. In December 2018, Becker announced that he would no longer claim diplomatic status and cleared the way for the compulsory auction.
Before the planned first auction, Becker said that it was "just about hurting myself personally, because of course I am emotionally attached to the trophies. If you add up the pure sales value of these items, such as rackets and trophies, that's a no brainer". However, according to his bankruptcy trustee Mark Ford, the first auction attempt last year "already attracted very significant bids".