Boris Becker: Tennis legend tense before the trial – he faces a prison sentence

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker is confident about his criminal trial before a court in London.

“I’m a positive person, I always believe in good things and in English jurisdiction. That’s why the thought of the court case doesn’t make me sleepless,” said the former tennis professional to the “Bild” newspaper and added: “I have a lot of respect before that? Yes. Am I tense? Yes. Am I nervous sometimes too? Yes.”

Boris Becker – Not panicking, but nervous

But he was “not panicking. We, my lawyers and I, are well prepared. I will personally try to refute the allegations for each of the 24 charges,” said the native of Leimen.

He was “glad that the process is finally starting and the court will make a judgment. The past five years have been damn long, the hardest of my life,” he was quoted as saying.

The trial at Southwark Crown Court in London is set to begin on March 21. Becker is accused of partially hiding assets and not handing over trophies in his bankruptcy proceedings in England. Becker denies the allegations.

In an initial hearing, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.

Tennis legend will “of course accept any verdict”

“If everything goes against me, I have a problem. But I’m a person who never gives up and always fights to the end,” said the former world number one. When asked if he would not use the word prison, Becker replied: “No. The presumption of innocence must also apply to me.”

He was not allowed to go into any of the points before the start of the process, said Becker, saying that many confused the criminal process with the insolvency process. In the upcoming proceedings, it will be decided “whether I have committed a criminal offense. My bankruptcy will continue regardless of this. It will end the moment everything that once belonged to me has been sold,” he said.

Of course he will “accept any verdict. But I hope that the judge and the twelve jurors will make a fair judgment.”

You can see the trailer of the film about the life of the tennis legend in the video below.