Former tennis star Boris Becker has expressed regret over winning Wimbledon at the age of 17, citing the immense pressure and scrutiny that followed his career-defining victory.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Becker, who was the youngest ever Wimbledon men’s singles champion when he beat Kevin Curren in 1985, said that he was “still a child” and that the early success “changed the road ahead tremendously.”
He went on to win six Grand Slam titles, but his success was often overshadowed by a turbulent private life and repeated financial difficulties.
Becker was released from a London prison in 2023 after serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence for hiding £2.5m worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.
He reflected on his time in prison, saying he took comfort in watching Novak Djokovic’s 2022 Wimbledon victory. “My brother Novak is there and I’m in one of the worst prisons in the world,” Becker said.
The 57-year-old, who was deported from the UK after his release, admitted that he was “too comfortable” and had “too much money” in the past, leading to his downfall.
He emphasized the importance of taking accountability for one’s actions, stating, “You cannot look back any more. You cannot change the past. You can only change the future because you live in today.”
