Boris Becker: The background behind the current process in London
Boris Becker has to answer in court in London these days. A look back at the entrepreneurial career of Germany's former tennis high-flyer.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Apr 06, 2022, 02:43 pm
When Boris Becker staged the German tennis big bang on Wimbledon's Center Court on July 7, 1985, he probably wouldn't have needed a shrewd profiteer like Ion Tiriac as a manager afterwards. At that time, large German and international companies fought for the 17-year-old lawn king, the youngest winner of all time at the largest and most important tournament in the world. Soon Deutsche Bank, BASF, Ebel and Mercedes were at Becker's side, and sporting financiers like Puma were allowed to sweeten their early trust in Becker afterwards. "Only the best is good enough for Boris," Tiriac said at the time with a devilish grin, "we can choose who we work with."
One of the smartest dealers in the tennis and sports industry, Tiriac is now one of the wealthiest citizens of his native Romania. His corporate conglomerate is worth billions, and as the licensee, he has just had a tennis tournament in Madrid sold to the global rights marketer IMG for $400 to $500 million. Tiriac once entered the big stage with Becker, he then grew very big with Becker, he also made Becker really big. But while Tiriac continued to grow as an entrepreneur and consolidated his empire after the end of the alliance with the boy from Leimen, Becker's situation became difficult and difficult. Today, a good 30 years after the separation from Tiriac, Becker can be seen in commercials on a German comparison portal, in which he talks somewhat stale about lending. The self-irony really wants to get caught, but the jokes at their own expense don't.
Becker "didn't listen to the people who wanted the right thing for him"
What went wrong with and for Becker, the one-time hero of the nation - until these days in March and April 2022, when he had to answer to a London court for obstructing his bankruptcy proceedings and even faces a prison sentence? In any case, Tiriac, the former manager, can hardly believe where Becker's path led: "He could have, indeed had to, become one of the richest athletes," says the impresario, "but he no longer listened to the people who were right for wanted him.” In fact, Becker had only two advisors of any standing during his career who were on hand to give him competent advice and support – Tiriac and later the (now deceased) Munich lawyer Axel Meyer-Wölden. About whom Tiriac once said, "He's the only one who ripped me off."
In court in London, Becker's defense force had developed a simple strategy in recent weeks: the six-time Grand Slam champion was, to a certain extent, underage in financial matters, and in the closing argument his lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw presented the catchy sentence intended for the media that the old champion was "hopeless." with money.” Becker knew practically nothing about his assets, his accounts, the items in the insolvency proceedings – which is why, for example, the whereabouts of a replica of his first Wimbledon trophy is unclear.
Becker and the finances
On the one hand, this coincided with a statement by the British magistrate Christine Derrett, who about five years ago when Becker's bankruptcy was announced - initially because of open liabilities to the private bank Arbuthnot Latha - had stated somewhat regretfully that Becker was probably a "man who had his head stuck in the stand” when it comes to perceiving his financial situation. On the other hand, Becker reacted angrily to that public humiliation and remarked in an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" that he was "neither insolvent nor broke". It is a single claim from a single creditor: "But believe me, I have enough assets to meet claims of this magnitude." Did that sound like the return of a man who was completely clueless about his finances? Or was it simply defiance to thwart the headlines in his home country about "bankrupt Boris"?
In any case, one thing is clear: With his last day as a tennis player in the summer of 1999, the knockout round defeat against the Australian Pat Rafter in Wimbledon, a time of clear circumstances, goals and plans ended for Becker. In the traveling circus of professionals, everything was transparent and obvious to Becker for a decade and a half. It was about victory and defeat on the field, his professional, business locations were set just like his priorities. Becker had a team of helpers who had one task above all: to serve the boss unconditionally. The business was in pretty good hands, with Tiriac and later with Meyer-Wölden.
Entrepreneurial failures
As a privateer, after the final point at the Open English Championships, Becker wanted to emancipate himself from his previous life and "be recognized as someone who can do more than just tennis." In big business, however, Becker believed he could succeed, as if they were playing Things are still like on Center Court: “You sit in a hearing, you listen. You go into the tiebreak and at some point make the big points.” But he never actually made the important points, one of the first ambitious projects, the Internet portal “Sportgate”, failed miserably. At the time, a Becker company resided in an aristocratic office palace in Unterföhring near Munich, but even Becker was unable to explain exactly what their business activities consisted of.
As early as 2003, his image suffered a severe scratch when it was said in Munich that "The Federal Republic of Germany against Boris Franz Becker" because of tax evasion. The years of disputes with the financial authorities came to a happy end for the former world number one, he got away with a suspended sentence. Curious enough that he owed the relatively mild sentence to a certain Hans-Dieter Cleven, the former general manager of the Swiss Metro Holding and asset manager of the multi-billion dollar Beisheim Group. Just a reminder: Cleven is now the man who appears as the largest creditor in the bankruptcy proceedings against Becker. His demands amounted to up to 35 million euros.
Becker continues to feel at home in tennis
Actually, over the 20 years of Becker's life after the Center Court duels, one finding solidified: the further the old master moved away from his actual profession, tennis, as an entrepreneur or business partner, the more difficult it became for him. Staying where he was once the best and most exciting on the planet, he continued to thrive. As a TV commentator, Becker was on duty around the world - and always a winner with clairvoyant analyzes and deep insights. A commitment to world number one Novak Djokovic was also a hit, the stubborn Serb was never as stable and successful as in the era of the partnership with Becker. And even a return to the German Tennis Association, as team leader for men's tennis, remained as a plus in Becker's job reference - although he can hardly hit a ball himself due to operations on the ankle and hip.
Becker's life as a tennis retiree was complex, he actually continued to live it as if he were still collecting significant money from tournament victories or sponsorship commitments. The liabilities, the payments to his former wives, the maintenance of the children piled up. It was often unclear who helped him, even for friends. Advisors came and went, his current counsel, Laidlaw, bluntly saying in the courtroom that none of the former partners had been helpful. This also and especially applies to the weeks that followed the opening of the insolvency proceedings in 2017. Then “Team Becker” had the strange idea that Becker should avert the impending foreclosure in London with diplomatic immunity – but his passport as a special attaché for sports and cultural affairs in the destitute Central African Republic turned out to be a vain number.
process in London
The fact that the trial against Becker took place in London, the center of his new life, seems a bit paradoxical. Because in Britain's capital, Becker actually felt at home and accepted "just as I am." And not the way he felt he should be in Germany: "People still see me as a 17-year-old boy, who just won Wimbledon.” The British knew Becker as a regular TV guest in their living room, he was probably their favorite German not only in sports. The fact that Becker was in trouble at home and had questionable TV appearances like the mediocre TV comedian Oliver Pocher - with a fly swatter on his head - remained hidden from them in front of the Crown Court by the public prosecutor's office - such as the forbidden swiping of money that the various creditors were entitled to.
In the courtroom, Becker no longer showed the laissez-faire attitude with which he had regularly dealt with business failures for years. Most of the time he sat tense during the proceedings, at the side of his new partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro. "I've tried a lot, a lot worked, others didn't. Who doesn't feel that way," Becker once said lightly to his critics a few years ago, "only with Becker it's turned into a drama, to failure altogether. For me it's all about triumph and tragedy.” He added at the time: “I have no regrets. Because what would have been the alternative. Being just a legend from the age of 32 and the end of your career? I wasn't born in Happy August.” To a man who can handle his money sensibly and with foresight, obviously not either.
Incidentally, Tiriac, the former companion, had offered Becker help years ago and thrown him a lifeline: "If he needs ten million for a goal, then I'll give it to him."