The girlfriend of disgraced former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has insisted he is coping with prison after he was visited by his sons in jail for the first time today.
Noah Becker, 28, and his younger brother Elias Becker, 22, accompanied Lillian De Carvalho Monteiro – Lily Becker – to see the ex-Wimbledon champion in HMP Huntercombe near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire as he serves a two-and-a-half year sentence for fraud.
MailOnline received this from Lily. Everything is fine. There’s nothing more I can say because I was so busy taking care of my children. It’s all okay.
Just hours before she spoke, Becker had visited her in HMP Huntercombe along with her boys.
Lily said that Wimbledon had been too hectic for her and she hadn’t been keeping up with it.
She said, “I have not been paying attention to Wimbledon. I’m too busy cooking and talking about other things.” I’m busy making dinner for my children.
“We are all okay, you don’t have to be worried.”
Former world number one Becker, who has provided commentary for the BBC’s SW19 coverage since 2002, was jailed in April for hiding £2.5million of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.
The 54-year-old German was declared bankrupt on June 21, 2017 – owing creditors almost £50million – over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca.
Becker is due to complete half his sentence in prison.
Novak Djokovic, a Serb tennis star, stated at a Wimbledon press conference that the coach was in serious trouble and that he supports them. Becker’s daughter and son Noah have been staying in Novak’s player’s box during The Championships as a gesture of support.
Boris Becker’s two eldest sons Noah and Elias join his girlfriend Lillian de Carvalho Monterio at HMP Huntercombe today
Becker’s boys and girlfriend wait at HMP Huntercombe while they see the tennis legend for the first-time today.
Becker’s sons Noah and Elias laugh together as they talk to the HMP Huntercombe entrance today
Boris Becker (left) and Lilian De Carvalho (right) arrive at Southwark Crown Court, April 29, 2022
Noah and Elias join their father’s girlfriend Lillian de Carvalho Monterio as they visit Becker in jail today
Lillian de Carvalho Monterio is last to leave HMP Huntercombe today as she and Noah and Elias visit their father
Noah Becker is pictured walking outside HMP Huntercombe today as he visits his jailed father
Lillian de Carvalho Monterio visits her jailed boyfriend Boris Becker at HMP Huntercombe today
Djokovic, after winning Wednesday’s singles round match, said that while he hadn’t been speaking directly with Djokovic, he has been talking to him via his coaches.
“It was a great honor to host Noah’s girlfriend and son to our first and second round matches.
Boris is going to be visited by Elias, Noah and Elias his younger brother. It will be the first time Boris has been seen since he was sent to prison.
“I just wanted to offer support to his closest friends, his family and to his loved ones, since Boris is my family member. Someone that I value, respect, care about.
“We have been through so much together in those three years of cooperation. The relationship began even before then. We remained close even after our professional relationship was over. He with my agent, my family and with my staff.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the things he’s going through. His family must be suffering. It is only a small gesture of friendship for them to accept my invitation.
“He knows, and they know they can always count upon me for any help or support I may provide.”
Becker, who lived in Monte Carlo and Switzerland before moving to the UK, previously told Southwark Crown Court he had ‘expensive lifestyle commitments’, including a £22,000-a-month rental house in Wimbledon, South West London.
He was declared bankrupt on June 21, 2017 over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca. To avoid his debts, he was accused of concealing millions of pounds of assets including two Wimbledon trophies.
Becker stated that he worked with trustees to secure his assets. Becker also offered his wedding ring up for consideration and acted upon expert advice.
Southwark Crown Court heard Rebecca Chalkley as the prosecutor.
She continued: ‘None of the money in count four, the money transferred to third parties, was in sterling £390,000. This is the prosecution case. The full amount of the money should be accounted and not only the 50 percent that Mr Laidlaw argues.
“It’s correct that the jury found the defendant did not know the period. They also concluded that transfer to other Boris Becker accounts did not constitute concealment. However, they found him guilty of transfer to third parties.
“The jury should have found that all payments were transferred deliberately and dishonest.
According to “Applying” the law, you can see that jurors returned verdicts based on the difference in the period prescribed, bankrupt, third party, and Boris Becker accounts.
She said the house in Leimen that has yet to be sold is worth £1.53million.
Ms. Chalkley explained that the reason that the total amount was included is because the deceased sought to remove that amount from his estate. At the moment, that money has not been returned by the creditors.
‘It will be available yes, but there is a distinction to be drawn from the money lost, and in regards to actual money lost is the £390,000 and what was sought to be lost was the £1.53million.’
Pictured: Boris Becker and Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro were seated in Novak Djokovic’s box at his round 2 victory.
Becker is coaching Novak Djokovic, at Melbourne Park in the Australian Open tennis tournament.
Djokovic celebrated beating Thanasi Kukkinakis from Australia in the second round.
Becker has been confirmed by the Insolvency Service as an Undischarged Bankrupt. He will remain that way up until October 2031.
In April, Becker was told by the court that he had ‘fallen from grace’. He will have to rely upon charity to live.
His barrister stated that he has been humiliated and is now without a future after he was convicted of hiding assets from Insolvency Service.
He said that his actions were tragic, had destroyed a “glittering” career and have left him with a “literally nothing”.
Jonathan Laidlaw QC, mitigation today said, “I submit and I hope it is not an exaggeration. Boris Becker actually has absolutely nothing. And there is no evidence to support what was once the most glittering sporting career.”
This is a tragic story. He isn’t just a fallen from grace, but he suffers the greatest humiliation.
“His level of suffering amounts to punishment comparable to what any bankrupt would experience in this country,” said the defendant. In reality, there’s no future for the defendant.
“These proceedings have destroyed him career and removed any prospect of his future earning any income. His brand is now in ruin.” His career will be destroyed and he’ll have to rely upon the generosity of others to help him survive.
The judge heard earlier that the defendant was in financial crisis and that the judge chose to grant money to him rather than his trustees.
According to his lawyer, he transferred the money in order to settle debts and fulfill his obligations to his estranged and ex-wife.
Becker said Becker had ‘nothing’, and also that he has ‘nothing left to show for the most glittering sporting careers’.
The court heard the original bankruptcy including the British private bank Arbuthnot Latham was £49,181,724. Excluding the bank, it was £40,067,065. What has been realised to date is £3.184million.
M. Laidlaw, QC stated that he was in dire financial straits. This is what he did and it is his responsibility.
“He made his choice as to the creditors to be paid, preferring or choosing to pay money to his dependents rather than to allow trustees to decide how to use that money.
“That is a criminal offense, but…this is an entirely different base for sentence that has ever been offered.”
He said, “Would these payments to other people necessarily have been disallowed in bankruptcy?”
“Against these circumstances, the defendant clearly had to continue to support the ex-wife. That would have been consistent in the court’s orders.
“He divorced his ex-wife, and with the approval of the joint trustees, he was permitted to keep working. These are the main categories in which almost all of his money is.
“I agree with your point and I hope that the court will also accept it. It is preference which the defendant is exercising, but this is clearly not something he should do. However, those payments might have been approved in bankruptcy by the trustee.
“We don’t care about money being spent on extravagant lifestyles or gambling, or anything like that.”
In order to prevent creditors seizing the house, Mr Laidlaw invited Judge Laidlaw to also reject Becker’s mortgage.
He stated that he would like to have the mortgage loan rejected in its entirety. The lender sought the loan with the intention of filing bankruptcy. It is unacceptable.
“The evidence is that the loan was approved on 27 March. This was one month prior to the petition being presented. It was also two months before he received the petition on May 28th. This could have not been the type of device suggested by the prosecution.
Boris Becker’s rise to fame and decline: From Wimbledon teenager sensation to childbearing in Mayfair restaurants, bankruptcy, and seven years imprisonment
Boris Becker was one of few spots tennis stars to reach the heights of his career, even though he is only 25 years old.
Becker was born in Leimen (West Germany) in 1967. His father is an architect and his mother is a Czech immigrant. Becker entered the tennis world at a very young age.
Becker was a child of a father who founded a tennis center in the village. Becker learned early how to play.
At the tender age of 10 in 1977, he was part of the Baden Tennis Association junior team.
He was able to win both the South German championship as well as the first German Youth Tennis Tournament.
After winning funding for training from the German Tennis Federation, he turned professional at 16 in 1984, winning the Tennis World Young Masters at the NEC in Birmingham in 1985, before claiming victory at Queens in June.
He entered Wimbledon in July 1985 at the age of 17 as an unseeded participant and won the tournament four times.
He entered Wimbledon in July at 17 years old as an unseeded participant and won the tournament four times.
Just 17 years, 228 days of age, he was the youngest singles champion for men at SW19. He quickly became a household favorite.
He defended his title the following year, defeating Ivan Lendl (the world’s number one) to win back-to-back Wimbledon championships.
In his sixteen years of tennis playing, he was a part of 77 finals as well as winning 49 singles titles.
Becker had fallen into serious mid-career decline after 1993 when he faced criticism for his marriage to Barbara.
Becker fell to Sampras during the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 1997. Becker vowed he wouldn’t play again at Wimbledon.
But he was unable to return to the west London club of tennis in 1999. He lost the fourth round to Patrick Rafter.
His personal problems continued outside the courtroom. He had to pay £2.4million after he fathered a daughter, named Anna, with a Russian model while married to wife Barbara.
This happened after he had crashed out at Wimbledon to Rafter 1999, and decided to quit the sport when he was 31.
In his 2003 autobiography Stay A Moment Longer Becker revealed that he had cried and needed to have a couple of beers with friends.
Barbara, his wife of seven months and expecting their second child, requested that he stay with them at the hotel.
Becker had fallen into serious mid-career decline after 1993 when he faced criticism for his marriage with Barbara.
Becker stated, “She could not and would not understand why she suddenly wasn’t the first in my priorities.”
“I told Barbara that I would say goodbye to Barbara and the boys just one more time. It didn’t work. Two hours passed. She became inexplicably in pain and went to hospital.;
Becker stated that he called his wife and asked if the baby was on its way. Then, he hit the streets.
By 11pm he was at the bar in Mayfair’s Nobu and spotted Russian model Angela Ermakowa. Both men had sex in London’s outpost.
His secretary gave him a fax from his Munich office the following February. The fax read, “Dear Herr Becker. We met at Nobu in London.” It is now been eight months since the meeting.
He later split from his first wife Barbara Feltus, a divorce which is estimated to have cost him more than £15million, as well as their home in Miami.
Becker was soon looking for a new role after tennis. He joined the BBC in order to provide coverage of Wimbledon each year.
However, his problems with personal relationships continued. He had a short engagement to Alessandra Meyer-Wölden in 2008, before announcing that he and Dutch model Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Kerssenberg would marry in 2009.
Becker and Becker split after nine years of marriage. Becker had a fourth child.
A year earlier, Becker had been declared bankrupt in June 2017 over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
His former business partner, Hans-Dieter Cleven, also claimed that the former tennis ace owed him more than £30million – though the case that was rejected by a Swiss court.
Becker is now facing another roadblock – the most severe yet. He was found guilty on four counts related to Insolvency Act.