"Someone is killing themselves or dying" - Horrified Boris Becker recalls 'worst' experience during prison time that left him traumatized

International tennis Hall of Famer, Boris Becker, has opened up about the traumatic account of his initial days in HM Prison Wandsworth, situated in South West London, England. The German tennis icon had served eight months in prison due to his bankruptcy fraud case.

Becker amassed notable feats throughout his prestigious professional career. The former ATP No. 1 won 49 career singles titles, 15 doubles titles, six singles Majors titles, including three Wimbledon Championships titles in men's singles.

The winner of 13 Masters titles, Boris Becker, faced trial at the Southwark Crown Court, London, during which he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for concealing £2.5m of assets and loans in his bankruptcy fraud case. He served his eight-month sentence at HM Prison Huntercombe, a centre for foreign criminals, after being transferred from HM Prison Wandsworth.

During his recent interview with DER SPIEGEL's Frauke Hunfeld and Thomas Huetlin, Becker recalled the traumatic experience of his initial prison days at HM Prison Wandsworth.

"The noises. You don't know what's happening, you don't know what's going on. You hear screams, all night long. It sounds like someone is killing themselves or dying in the cell next door. There's an emergency button in the cell, which I pressed once or twice at first. An inmate who's allowed to help others came over, a kind of link between the institution and the inmates; they're called listeners," Becker said during his interview [Translated from German to English].

He continued,

"He said, get used to it, you'll fall asleep eventually. I was unlucky enough to have arrived on the weekend. Saturday afternoon, I was outside for an hour to get lunch. Then Sunday afternoon, and Monday was a holiday. So it took three days before I got out of the tiny cell and was able to talk to the others. Those were the worst three days of my life."

Notably, Becker, the former coach of Serbian legend Novak Djokovic, also won an Olympic gold medal in the men's doubles category at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

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Boris Becker set to become a father with wife, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro

Boris Becker and Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro at Tennis: Laver Cup Opening Night - Source: Getty

German tennis icon Boris Becker is expecting a child with his third wife, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, a political risk analyst, who has a master’s degree in African Studies.

She is the daughter of government official Victor Monteiro, as per South China Morning Post's official site. The couple, who have been dating since 2019, got married in September 2024 and currently live in Milan, Italy.

Becker has four children from his past relationships and was recently honored with the Legend Award at the Sport BILD Awards for his legacy in the sport.