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Wimbledon champion Boris Becker declared bankrupt | Wimbledon champion Boris Becker declared bankrupt |
(35 minutes later) | |
Three-time Wimbledon tennis champion Boris Becker has been declared bankrupt by a London bankruptcy court. | |
The 49-year-old owed a firm of private bankers a large sum and the court registrar said there was not enough credible evidence that he could pay. | |
Mr Becker's lawyers asked for a final chance to pay with the funds from remortgaging a property in Majorca. | |
Mr Becker, now a coach and TV pundit for the BBC and other media, was not at the hearing in London. | |
Registrar Miss Christine Derrett said it was "with regret" that she came to the conclusion that he could not pay. | |
"I remember watching him play on Centre Court, which probably shows my age," she added. | |
The bankruptcy application was made by Arbuthnot Latham in connection with a debt owed to them for nearly two years. | The bankruptcy application was made by Arbuthnot Latham in connection with a debt owed to them for nearly two years. |
'Head in the sand' | |
Mr Becker's lawyers had asked for another 28-day adjournment after saying that they expected the Majorca property deal to be completed in a month's time. | |
However, the registrar rejected the plea and said: "It is not often the case that a professional person has a judgment (debt) outstanding against them since October 2015. This is a historic debt. | However, the registrar rejected the plea and said: "It is not often the case that a professional person has a judgment (debt) outstanding against them since October 2015. This is a historic debt. |
"One has the impression of a man with his head in the sand." | "One has the impression of a man with his head in the sand." |
Mr Becker's advocate, John Briggs, said: "He is not a sophisticated individual when it comes to finances. I am asking for a real last chance for Mr Becker to come good. It has just taken longer than anticipated." | |
Becker's career in numbers | |
Since retiring from the game, Mr Becker has worked in business and the media and he also coached former world number one Novak Djokovic for three years from 2013. | |
He is part of the BBC's commentary team for this year's Wimbledon Championships, which begin on Monday 3 July. |