Boris Becker’s lawyers are battling to stop his treasured tennis trophies and mementos being auctioned off to help cover millions of pounds worth of debt.
The sale is being conducted after the 50-year-old German tennis star was declared bankrupt last year and his assets were seized by creditors.
Becker, who is rumoured to have debts of £54million, said yesterday that his legal team are applying for a retraining order to prevent an auction taking place to raise £1million to chip away at the sum he owes.
Former tennis star Boris Becker is selling off an array of trophies and mementos at an auction in Hemel Hempstead
Becker is pictured with the Wimbledon men’s singles trophy after beating Kevin Curren in the final in London in July 1985
The retired tennis champion has claimed diplomatic immunity from bankruptcy proceedings in London by taking up a role with Central African Republic as a sports envoy.
The country’s foreign minister said last week that a copy of the diplomatic passport he had seen was a ‘clumsy fake’ and was launching an inquiry into who issued the document.
But Becker, the German former world number one and a three-times winner of Wimbledon, told the BBC that he received the passport at an official ceremony.
Talking yesterday about his financial situation, Becker said: ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’ve paid all I owe.’
A full-size replica 1989 US Open winner’s trophy which was previously on display at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island in the US features in the sale. It was awarded to Becker for his men’s singles victory over Ivan Lendl. The starting price is £5,000
Becker is pictured lifting a similar 1989 US Open trophy at the USTA National Tennis Center in in Flushing Meadows, New York
Among the marquee lots are a Renshaw Cup trophy which Becker was given after becoming the youngest male winner of Wimbledon aged just 17 in 1985. It has a starting price of £8,000 but is expected to achieve far more.
The auction comes amid a torrid year for the three-time Wimbledon champion, who was declared bankrupt last June – and is desperately trying to raise money to pay his debts over a sum owed to a private bank since 2015.
Just last month it was revealed Becker had split from his Dutch model wife Lilly, 41, after nine years of marriage – while his mansion in Majorca is on the market for £9million, but is currently being occupied by squatters.
Becker is pictured stepping out of his BMW in London today, after returning from commentating on the French Open in Paris
A full-size replica 1989 US Open winner’s trophy which was previously on display at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island in the US also features in the sale, due to take place on June 28.
In addition, collectors can bid on his 1988 Davis Cup winner’s trophy with West Germany and his Wimbledon 1990 runners-up medal following his epic five set loss to his great rival Stefan Edberg.
Other notable items up for grabs are a Puma racket Becker used at the 1988 WCT Finals in Dallas, his trademark Lotto kit and a pair of Babolat trainers he wore at the 1996 Australian Open, the last of his six grand slam titles.
Auction house Wyles Hardy & Co, of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, has been estimating the value of his trophies and memorabilia which cannot be removed from his or his mother’s homes.
Becker’s trademark Lotto shirts and shorts are among the items up for auction. The Italian sportswear manufacturer sponsored Becker at the height of his fame, along with Martina Navratilova and Thomas Muster. The starting bid is £500
A Becker XXL Lotto sleeveless sweater, two wristbands and a pair of socks also feature among the lots – starting bid £250
A Seiko watch which belonged to tennis star Novak Djokovic, who Becker coached for three years before they parted ways in 2016, is one of four timepieces in the sale by British auction house Wyles Hardy & Co. The starting bid on this one is £300
A Puma Super tennis racket used by Becker in the 1988 World Championship Tennis finals. The final that year played on an indoor court at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, saw Becker defeat Sweden’s Stefan Edberg. The starting price is £3,000
Becker used the Puma tennis racket at the WCT Finals in April 1988, which was part of the Nabisco Grand Prix
The auction comes after it was revealed last month that Becker had split from his wife Lilly after nine years of marriage during which they had a son, Amadeus, now eight.
The decision ‘wasn’t an easy one’, according to a lawyer for the sportsman. In March Mrs Becker told the Daily Mail they had tried therapy to save their marriage. She said: ‘I’ve had a rough year.
‘At first, I let go completely – too much drinking, too much smoking, too much going out and not caring. Boris was going through a bad time in his way, so he didn’t notice. We disconnected and went our own ways.’
Becker earned about £100million during his career but was declared bankrupt over an undisclosed sum owed to a private bank. The court in London ordered his assets and property to be disposed of to meet his debts.
Collectors can also bid on Becker’s 1988 Davis Cup winner’s trophy with West Germany, who beat Sweden 4-1 in the final. The starting bid on the item is £6,500
A pair of trainers that Becker wore at the 1996 Australian Open, the last of his six grand slam titles, in which he beat American Michael Chang in January of that year. The victory also marked Becker’s second Australian Open title
Becker wore the tennis shoes (left and right) in the 1996 Australian Open Final. The starting price is £500. The sale is being conducted after the 50-year-old German sportsman was declared bankrupt last June and his assets were seized by creditors
A Renshaw Trophy Becker was presented after becoming the youngest male winner of Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985 (left, with a starting price of £10,000), and a ewer to mark West Germany’s Davis Cup semi-final win in the same year (right, price £2,000)
Becker plays a backhand return during Wimbledon in London in June 1997, which saw him knocked out by Pete Sampras
He has appealed for help in tracing 14 trophies won during his career so he could sell them. Becker was previously said to have been hopeful of raising £1million alone by selling his Wimbledon trophies.
His mansion in Majorca – currently occupied by squatters – is on the market for £9million. Becker bought the estate with his former wife Barbara Feltus in 1997 but has been trying to sell it for a decade.
In 2014 it was almost auctioned off for £5.6million after being confiscated by the Majorcan authorities after he failed to pay £312,300 to a local builder.
Speaking about his bankruptcy last autumn, Becker denied being ‘broke’ and said he had ‘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.’
Hertfordshire-based auction house Wyles Hardy & Co has been tasked with estimating the value of Becker’s trophies and memorabilia which can not be removed from his or his mother’s homes
Becker’s Wimbledon 1990 runners-up medal following a five set loss to his rival Stefan Edberg. The starting bid is £6,000
Becker is pictured with his wife Lilly in 2017. It emerged last month that they have separated after 13 years together
Becker split from his wife Lilly (pictured together in Berlin in November 2010) after nine years of marriage
Becker is pictured with his son Noah and now ex-wife Lilly in Richmond, South West London, in June 2007
Becker’s mansion in Majorca – currently occupied by squatters – is on the market for £9million. Becker bought the estate with his former wife Barbara Feltus in 1997 but has been trying to sell it for a decade.
He told The Times in November: ‘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.’
In January, he appealed for help in tracking down 14 trophies won during his career – including the three from his Wimbledon wins in 1985, 1986 and 1989 – so he can sell them to pay off his debts.
Becker has two sons from his first marriage to actress Ms Feltus and a daughter from a tryst with a Russian model.