Boris Becker’s abandoned Mallorcan mansion is on the market for £9million – but the German squatter who lives there say no-one will pay a penny for it.
The once-majestic property in the Balearic Islands features stables, an outdoor swimming pool, four guest houses, a helicopter pad and a tennis court made from parts of Wimbledon furniture.
Property brochures still list the mansion for sale with idyllic photos of the mansion’s grounds and well-appointed interior.
But as these pictures show, the reality is very different, as the villa and grounds have become dilapidated and the expensive tennis court is in a state of disrepair.
Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017 and the mansion has since been taken over by German squatter Georg Berres and members of his self-titled Intergalactic Auxiliary and Rescue Command.
‘They still want to sell this, the price is over €10million – this is ridiculous, try to find anyone who wants to have it for a million, a cent, you won’t find anyone,’ Berres said.
Myth: Boris Becker’s abandoned former mansion in Mallorca is still advertised for sale with idyllic pictures such as this one, which advertises a 100-foot swimming pool with a ‘pool house in Moroccan style’ behind it
Reality: In this more recent picture, taken earlier this year, the swimming pool looks uninviting with murky water instead of the shimmering blue kind, and the neat lawns of the brochure are replaced with patchy vegetation
Squatter: Sitting on the stairs is German squatter Georg Berres, who has taken over the property in Mallorca along with members of his self-titled Intergalactic Auxiliary and Rescue Command since Boris Becker was declared bankrupt
Owner: Former tennis champion Boris Becker, pictured at Tottenham v Bayern Munich in football’s Champions League last month, was declared bankrupt more than two years ago
Warmth: In the glamorous estate agent shots such as this one, the property in the Balearic Islands is shown as a well-appointed home with a ‘modern kitchen made of noble woods and metal’
Barren: This kitchen area looks much less attractive in its abandoned state, with harsh outdoor light rather than the warm glow of the promotional picture and most of the shelves empty
The glamorous images of the property which are displayed on a Spanish listings website are more than 10 years old, Berres claimed.
The property advert boasts of a ‘magnificent setting’ which could serve as a ‘most ideal location for dinner parties, barbecues and grand celebrations of all kinds’ for a large number of guests.
However, when estate agents came to visit the property they could not believe what they were seeing when they arrived to take pictures, the German said.
He said: ‘We’ve had people at the gate introducing themselves as real estate agents wanting to take pictures. They get on the ground and say: “What the f*** happened here?'”
‘No one knew what it was like, as they have these 10-year-old perfect pictures, where it had a nice English lawn.’
One of the brochure shots shows the clear blue water of an outdoor swimming pool, flanked by a ‘Moroccan-style’ pool house and neat lawns.
The property advert describes the area as an ‘oasis of calm’ and says the pool ‘offers an ideal area for resting [and] relaxing from the daily stresses of life.’
However, the pool looks murky and uninviting in the more recent images, and the neat lawns of the brochure are replaced with patchy vegetation.
Homely: The property listing shows off images such as this one with a well-decorated living room, comfortable-looking sofas and chairs and wide windows to enjoy the pleasant surroundings of the villa’s grounds
Desolate: In its abandoned state this room looks rather bleak, with a single mattress on the floor and none of the pleasant furnishings that a buyer might expect based on the estate agent photos
Enjoyable: Looking at this promotional photo, a buyer might hope to sit by the poolside with a glass of orange juice and enjoy a swim in the clear blue water, surrounded by well-kept lawns
Occupied: German squatter Georg Berres stands by the rather less appealing pool as it looks today, with only patches of plant life around it, after he took over the property from his compatriot Boris Becker
Expensive: As one would expect of Boris Becker’s home, the property boasts a luxury tennis court made from pieces of Wimbledon and Australian Open furniture. However, the court looks dirty and in disrepair in this photo
Sprawling: An idyllic aerial view of the property – claimed by the German squatter who lives there to be at least 10 years out of date – shows the bright blue swimming pool and well-kept lawns which surround the villa and outbuildings
Lonely: This image looks nothing like the idyllic advert for the property, with sparse bushes on a barren landscape
Bleak: Patches of plant life dot the barren ground in this more up-to-date view of the property which looks nothing like the glamorous image in the property brochure
Dirty: Instead of a well-appointed interior, visitors to the home will find dirty floors, barren walls and piles of empty bottles
Squatter Berres has previously told reporters that he would leave if Spanish authorities asked him to, but there has apparently been no such request so far.
According to the property listing, the ‘very special tennis court’ has the same surface as the one used in the Australian Open, and the net and supports come directly from Wimbledon.
In reality, the court is full of weeds and cracks, the net is threadbare and being held up by metal wire tied to the fence.
While the brochure shows off a homely kitchen and living area, the recent pictures reveal barren and uninviting rooms cluttered with rubbish.
One property listing even states: ‘The quality is first class. This property has to be viewed to be appreciated.’
The 12-bedroom home is on offer for €10.5million (£9million) but the finca is reportedly in the hands of Spanish administrators Convenia Profesional SLP.
Pleasant: This view from the online property listing shows the ‘fachada’ or facade of part of Boris Becker’s former villa, with clean walls and green shutters to match the neat grass and trees in front of the building
Unkempt: The property has a basketball court but it looks uninviting with weeds growing in the corners and the court dirty
Closed: The dirty-looking gates of the property are flanked by columns which show the name of the property: Son Coll
In a poor state: The wallpaper is rotting and the plant life outside is overgrown in this picture of a porch at the Mallorcan home
One man and his dog: Georg Berres inspects a hatch next to the swimming pool which has turned from blue to murky green
Takeover: Georg Berres sits on a red sofa in one of the rooms at the Mallorcan villa, alongside a selection of guitars
Little company: The German squatter pets a local animal at the mansion which Boris Becker bought in the 1990s
Becker bought the estate with his former wife Barbara in 1997 but has been trying to sell it for a decade.
The legal battle over his bankruptcy took an unlikely turn when he claimed that his status as a minor attache for the Central African Republic gave him diplomatic immunity.
Becker said he had a passport at the embassy in Brussels but the CAR foreign minister and a presidential spokesman denied that such a document existed.
Last December he dropped the claim and an auction of his memorabilia which was held earlier this year raised nearly £700,000.
A 17-year-old Becker became the youngest ever men’s singles champion at Wimbledon when he lifted the trophy in 1985. He won it again in 1986 and 1989.
He collected 49 singles titles including six Grand Slam trophies in a career spanning more than two decades, retiring in 1999.
Unappealing: The German squatter stands by the ‘Moroccan pool house’ which leads to the now-uninviting swimming area
Temporary: A mattress lies on the floor of one of the unlit bedrooms, looking out of the tall windows with green shutters
Empty shelves: This room looks much less attractive with its three bookshelves taken up only by a few miscellaneous items
Storage: This outdoor alcove is now home to an assortment of items, including what appears to be a barbecue
Disrepair: The netting on the tennis court may come from Wimbledon but it appears threadbare in this recent photo
Abandoned: A mattress lies in dirty surroundings on a veranda outside one of the buildings in the sprawling Spanish property
Falling apart: A sauna (left) is advertised as being part of a ‘splendid wellness area’ but is now covered in debris, while part of the wallpaper (right) appears to be peeling off in another room