Boris Becker is RELEASED from jail after serving less than half of his sentence

Boris Becker was sensationally freed from jail today and is believed to be heading home to spend Christmas in Germany.

The disgraced former Wimbledon champion was released from prison after serving just eight months of his two-and-a-half year sentence for hiding millions when he went bankrupt.

It is thought to be returning to his hometown of Leimen, where his 87-year-old mother Elvira lives, for an emotional reunion with his loved ones.

Becker, 55, was believed to have been accompanied by Home Office officials as he was driven from HMP Huntercombe in Oxfordshire, where foreign nationals are detained ahead of deportation.

Boris Becker was sensationally freed from jail today and is believed to be heading home to spend Christmas in Germany (pictured on December 9)

He walked free under a fast-track scheme that sends criminals back to their own country before their release date to ease pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prisons.

As he tasted freedom, the German tennis ace slipped comfortably back into a lifestyle he is more used to after months surrounded by hardened criminals banged up in a prison cell.

Becker, who won Wimbledon three times during a glittering career, is thought to be heading home in a luxury paid-for private jet.

Sources in Germany have revealed the 55-year-old has been signed up by a Munich-based TV station for an interview about his dramatic fall from grace.

Boris is still one of Germany’s most famous sportsmen and his first interview is much prized.

The source added: ‘There will be a great amount of interest in his release and the private jet ensures that he is not seen by other media.

‘The TV company will be paying for the jet and is part of their agreement for the interview.’

A clip released this week showed Becker breaking down in tears opened up about the emotional turmoil he felt prior to being sentenced.

The 55-year-old tennis star, who won Wimbledon at the age of 17 along with six grand slams, said that he had hit his ‘bottom’ while awaiting to be sentenced earlier this year.

He was convicted in April of hiding £2.5 million-worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts, but is expected to be released imminently after nearly eight months in prison.

The clip of Becker being interviewed before the sentencing was released by filmmakers of an untitled upcoming documentary.

Looking tearful, he said: ‘I’ve hit my (rock) bottom, I don’t know what to make of it.

‘I (will) face (my sentence), I’m not going to hide or run away. (I will) accept whatever sentence I’m going to get.

‘It’s Wednesday afternoon and (on) Friday I know the rest of my life.’

Apple TV+ said the two-part show explores the three-time Wimbledon champion and former world number one’s tennis career from the beginning as well as his ‘tumultuous’ personal life.

Under the release scheme, prisoners can receive a reduction in their sentence of up to 135 days if they agree to leave the UK – and they do not have to serve any further prison time in their home country.

Becker, 55, was believed to have been accompanied by Home Office officials as he was driven from HMP Huntercombe in Oxfordshire (pictured)

Despite making his home in London for over a decade Becker did not apply for British citizenship and so became eligible for the Home Office scheme.

Last month Becker’s former spokesman said: ‘We are pleased for Boris that he may qualify for an early release and be able to travel to Germany, albeit England has been his home for many, many years. I’m sure it will mean a lot to him and his family to be reunited for Christmas.’

It is believed he is planning to return to Leimen, which is five miles from the ancient picturesque city of Heidelberg.

Becker still owns a property there worth £1.8million – a luxurious seven-bedroom villa spanning 8,880 sq ft where Elvira still lives in a granny flat.

He was forced to put the house on market in 2020 in an attempt to clear his debts by the UK insolvency administrator.

However, prospective buyers were told that if they bought the house, they would have to allow his mother to continue living in the house until her death. One condition of the sale was a ‘lifelong residency’ for her.

The house was taken off the market after a couple of weeks and will guarantee Becker a place to stay while he settles in a country he has not called home for over a decade.

Boasting ‘unrestricted views of the Rhine Valley’, the spacious 8,000 sq ft villa, built in 1990, has a sun terrace, sauna and whirlpool.

Becker was jailed earlier this year after being found guilty of hiding £2.5 million in assets – including the Leimen home, £600,000 in shares and a £700,000 loan – after being made bankrupt over an unpaid £3 million loan.

While being held in prison Becker has been visited by his girlfriend Lilian De Carvalho and his sons.

The shamed tennis ace’s money woes have been well documented but it is reported in Germany that his estranged wife Lilly, 46, has her own money troubles.

She is reportedly being sued for £170,000 by a ‘close friend’ who claims to have loaned her the money.

Pierre Uebelhack, 47, filed suit against Lilly at a court in Munich a few days ago, German newspaper Bild reports.

Mr Uebelhack, a TV producer, and Mrs Becker were said to have been ‘close’ between 2017 and some time last year when she told Hello magazine she would ‘love to be in love’ again. She is now believed to be dating sports manager and former footballer Thorsten Weck.

The pair were seen cosying up together on a yacht while on holiday in Ibiza in August.

His first wife Barbara, mother of his two sons, Noah and Elias, lives in Miami, Florida.

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