Boris Becker has appealed for help finding his trophies because the bankrupt tennis ace needs to sell them to pay his debts – but can’t remember where they are.
The 50-year-old former Wimbledon champion is said to have earned in the region of £100million throughout his career, but was declared bankrupt in June last year over a £3.3million debt.
He is now trying to collect some of the trophies and memorabilia from his playing days – but some are ‘unaccounted for’ because he is ‘unable to recollect where they are located’.
Tennis institutions including the All England Tennis Club and the US Tennis Association and the International Tennis Hall of Fame, do not appear to be have the missing trophies, Mr Becker and his bankruptcy trustees said in a joint statement.
Boris Becker (pictured) has appealed for help to find his trophies because the bankrupt tennis ace needs to sell them to pay his debts – but can’t remember where they are
Mr Becker is trying to collect some of the trophies and memorabilia from his playing days – but some are ‘unaccounted for’ because he is ‘unable to recollect where they are located’. Missing items include trophies he won for victory at Wimbledon in 1985 (left) and 1989 (right)
An appeal has now been launched to track the items down.
They include the star’s trophies for victories at the Australian Open in 1991 and 1996 and Wimbledon in 1985, 1986 and 1989. Also missing are trophies from the President’s Challenge Cup in 1985 and 1989 and The Renshaw Cup in 1989.
The statement said: ‘Anyone with any information relating to the whereabouts of the missing trophies, or any other memorabilia or other information of relevance to Mr Becker’s bankruptcy estate are encouraged to contact the joint trustees.’
Mark Ford, Finbarr O’Connell and Gil Lemon, of Smith & Williamson LLP, were appointed joint trustees of the bankruptcy estate of Mr Becker in August last year.
They said that since then, the sportsman has ‘assisted the joint trustees to collect some of the trophies and other memorabilia that he had amassed during his long and illustrious professional tennis career, all of which have subsequently vested in his joint trustees following his bankruptcy for the benefit of his bankruptcy creditors.’
Mr Becker is now trying to collect some of the trophies and memorabilia from his playing days – but some are ‘unaccounted for’ because he is ‘unable to recollect where they are located’
An appeal has now been launched to track down Boris Becker’s missing trophies and memorabilia after he said he could not remember where they are
‘However, a number of the trophies of Mr Becker’s career are unaccounted for as Mr Becker is unable to recollect where they are located and various tennis institutions, including the All England Tennis Club, the German Tennis Federation, the US Tennis Association, Tennis Australia and the International Tennis Hall of Fame, do not appear to be holding the missing trophies.’
Mr Becker’s financial woes hit the headlines in June after it was reported that he never paid back an undisclosed debt to a private bank.
But in November he insisted that his bankruptcy was a ‘misunderstanding’, explaining that he was ‘in a position’ to settle the bill.
Speaking to The Times, the former Tennis pro claimed that the situation arose because of a dispute over the interest he owes.
He said: ‘I am in a position to settle to an amount that I owe. It’s a bit like if you go to a restaurant and order a chicken sandwich and a cola and the bill is £10,000.
‘I’d like to go over the bill with the restaurant owner and that chance hasn’t been given to me. That’s why I call this a big misunderstanding. I’m not running away. I live in the middle of London. I’m not hiding.’
At the time, it was reported that there was a possibility his bankruptcy could be annulled should he settle his dispute in the coming months.
He said: ‘I would like to have an annulment. It’s important to me. I could sit it out and say, “My doctor is telling me I need a holiday; my wife hasn’t seen me much.” Theoretically I could do that, but that is the last thing I want to do. To clarify, I want to settle the bill and move on with my life.’
The former Wimbledon great explained that he takes ‘full responsibility’ for his financial situation but had the bank played theoretical tennis ‘doubles’ with him, he would have avoided his bankruptcy.
Mr Becker was declared bankrupt in June over a £3.3million debt.
Speaking in an interview with Swiss newspaper, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Mr Becker said last year: ‘It’s crazy to think I’m broke’.
Mr Becker (left) remarried in June 2009 in St Moritz, Switzerland to Dutch model Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Kerssenberg (right)
Family time: The couple have a seven-year-old son named Amadeus Benedict Edley Luis Becker
‘I have enough national and international deals to earn an income that will allow me to pay my staff on time and carry on my life as normal.
‘It’s true that I have been in bankruptcy since June 21, but it’s wrong that I am broke,’ he claimed.
Boris married his first wife Barbara in December 1993, with the couple going on to have Noah and Elias.
However in the summer of 1999, while Barbara was seven months pregnant with Elias, Boris fathered his daughter Anna during a one-night-stand with Russian model Angela Ermakova at Nobu in London.
When Barbara found out about the one night stand she moved to Florida and filed for divorce.
She fought their pre-nuptial agreement and managed to win more than £14million and the custody of both sons in a divorce court.
Although Boris disputed paternity, a DNA test in February 2001 proved that he was the father and he agreed to support Anna, now a budding model, and obtained joint custody in November 2007.
After moving to Switzerland and enjoying a few years out of in the media spotlight, Becker remarried in June 2009 in St Moritz, Switzerland to Dutch model Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Kerssenberg.
The couple have a seven-year-old son named Amadeus Benedict Edley Luis Becker.
The star is still one of the most famous names in the world of sport and features heavily as a pundit during the BBC’s two weeks of coverage of Wimbledon.