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Becker: From grass court to law court

Becker
Becker won six grand slam events.

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MUNICH, Germany -- Boris Becker's life has been just as colorful since he retired from tennis as it was when he was world number one.

His decision to leave Germany for a Swiss tax haven came after he was given a two-year suspended sentence on tax evasion charges in October 2002.

Becker achieved international stardom in 1985 when he won the world's most famous tennis tournament, Wimbledon, as an unseeded 17-year-old.

But off the tennis court he has suffered a string of disasters, including a divorce, a paternity claim, and a failed business venture.

He had reached the third round in his first appearance at Wimbledon in 1984, but stunned the tennis world by taking the title the following year.

For the next 14 years he remained in the top flight of international tennis, winning almost 50 titles, including six grand slam events.

Nicknamed "boom-boom" for his powerful serve, he retained his Wimbledon title in 1986 and 1989, was Wimbledon runner-up four times and helped Germany win the Davis Cup in 1988 and 1989.

But his powerful game did not translate well to the slower clay courts and he never won the French Open.

In 1997, after losing to Pete Sampras, he announced he had made his final appearance at the All England Club.

However, he changed his mind and returned in 1999 for one last hurrah, managing to get into the last 16 before making his final bow to the Royal Box.

He said then: "It's been an incredible ride. I've won more matches here than anybody.

"It was a great love affair. It was like nowhere else in the world. The place was always very special to me. It made who I am today."

After his retirement from competitive tennis, Becker managed to carve out a seemingly successful business career.

He launched a sports marketing company, played a part in Germany's successful bid to stage the 2006 football World Cup, managed Germany's Davis Cup team and publicly backed campaigns to combat xenophobia and anti-Semitism in the country.

The later project was close to his heart.

He said he considered leaving Germany because he feared for the safety of his family amid increasing right-wing racist violence.

"I have a black wife and black children and I'm not just talking about it, I live this problem day to day," he said in 1999.

In 1993, Becker had married former model and actress Barbara Feltus -- daughter of a former U.S. Army medical corps officer -- and the couple were widely admired for choosing to live in Germany, where mixed-race marriages are rare, despite receiving repeated violent racist threats.

The pair, who have two sons, Noah and Elias, were among Germany's most glamorous couples, often appearing in magazines and on television programmes.

Becker seemed to be the sporting icon who had it all: Millions of adoring admirers, an estimated $300m fortune, a luxury home in Monte Carlo, a beautiful wife and two children.

But in December 2000, Becker and his wife Barbara split up -- two weeks before their seventh wedding anniversary.

He blamed the breakdown of the marriage on the pressure of being rich and famous.

He also said his personal life spun into crisis after his father, Karl Heinz, died in 1999.

Becker said in a statement announcing the separation: "We have had to accept that for some time the ways we understand the priorities of our relationship have become too different."

They were divorced in early 2001 after an acrimonious international court battle, during which Barbara won an undisclosed settlement -- reported to run into millions of dollars -- and custody of their two sons.

But his troubles were not over.

In February 2001, a Russian-born model launched a paternity suit against him.

Angela Ermakova claimed Becker was the father of her baby daughter, Anna, who she said was conceived during a brief encounter in a broom cupboard at a Japanese restaurant in London.

At first, Becker denied he was the father of her child, but concurred after DNA tests, but later issued a statement saying he would take responsibility for the baby and contribute to her future as a "happy girl."

He said: "I do accept the fatherhood. I take responsibility and I will take care for little Anna.

"Children are the most important people in our world. Whatever I can contribute, I will do for Anna's future as a happy girl."


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