The estranged wife of former tennis star Boris Becker has claimed that she and her son were forced to sleep on a bench in a cafe after her split from the ‘narcissistic egotist’.
Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Becker has spoken out about her tumultuous relationship with the six-time Grand Slam champion, saying he wanted to ‘destroy’ her.
The disgraced tennis legend had a fall from grace after he was jailed last year for hiding £2.5million worth of assets and declaring bankruptcy.
Becker, 55, recently returned to Germany after being given an early release from prison in Britain and has insisted that he is a reformed man.
However, his second wife, whom he was married to for nine years from 2009 to 2018 before splitting, has now launched fresh criticism of the retired Wimbledon champion in a shocking interview with German media.
German former tennis player Boris Becker (L) and his then wife Lilly Becker (R) attending the 182nd annual Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, 26 September 2015
Boris Becker (L) and Lilly Becker attend The Serpentine Summer Party co-hosted by Tommy Hilfiger on July 6, 2016 in London, England
Eight years since his first Wimbledon title, Becker argues with the umpire at the 1993 US Open
Speaking to the German newspaper Bild, she described him as a ‘narcissistic egotist’, claiming that he was ‘constantly’ unfaithful during their relationship.
She said: ‘I left him in 2018 and he won’t forgive me.
‘You don’t leave a Boris Becker. Since then he wants to destroy me.
‘I didn’t have a cent in cash. I didn’t know where to go.
‘We spent the first night on a bench in a cafe.’
An upcoming ITVX documentary titled Boris Becker: The Rise & Fall is due to tell the inside story of the former tennis star’s life, with interviews from his friends and former coaches.
The 47-year-old Dutch model will be featuring in the docuseries, recalling a particular incident in 2008 when she found out Becker was engaged to another woman called Alessandra Meyer-Wölden shortly after their separation.
‘I woke up, my phone rang,’ Ms Becker said.
‘I suddenly checked. This woman is younger, beautiful. That was devastating.
‘I’ve never felt so ugly, old and unwanted.’
She said she decided to go to Ibiza where she tried every drug in attempt to forget about him.
She said: ‘I tried every mushroom, every alcohol, every drug on Ibiza.
‘I couldn’t get drunk enough to forget this man.’
The tennis star’s engagement with Meyer-Wolden fell through soon after, with Lilly taking him back and the pair tying the knot in 2009.
Ms Becker told Bild: ‘He’s afraid that he can’t influence the content of this documentary.
‘He’s used to being able to steer and manipulate others. But I won’t let him muzzle me, even if he comes after me again with his lawyers.
‘I left him because I couldn’t take his lies and his bad character anymore.
‘I got no answers to my questions… he just didn’t treat me right anymore. He was bad to me.’
Becker and his then-wife ‘Lilly’ Kerssenberg enjoy local beer at Oktoberfest in Munich, 2017
Boris Becker and Lilly Kerssenberg at their wedding in St Moritz, Switzerland, on 12 Jun 2009
Boris Becker is pictured with his current partner, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, at the premiere of ‘Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker’ Berlinale International Film Festival on 19 February
Becker has not yet responded to the interview or the upcoming two-part documentary, however, German media have reported that he has instructed his lawyers to examine the series.
He has previously claimed that his wife’s claims were ‘not always right or legally correct’.
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