Boris Becker's estranged wife says ‘prison didn’t make him a better person’

Boris Becker has been branded a ‘devil' by his estranged wife. Picture: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Boris Becker has been branded a ‘devil' by his estranged wife. Picture: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Published Feb 20, 2023

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Boris Becker has been branded a “devil” by his estranged wife.

The shamed three-time Wimbledon champion, 55, was released from jail in Britain and deported to Germany in December after serving seven-and-a-half months behind bars for hiding his assets after declaring bankruptcy, and has now been accused by his ex-spouse Sharlely Kerssenberg, who is known as Lilly, of not giving her a current address so they can finalise divorce proceedings more than four years after they split.

Kerssenberg told German newspaper “Bild”: “Boris can be charming and loving when he wants to, but also extremely hurtful with words. A devil.

“Prison didn’t make Boris a better person. Boris lives in his world in which everything revolves around Boris Becker.

“It is not my fault he went to prison. He ruined his reputation all by himself.

“Boris doesn’t care whether we're doing well or badly. We used to have an honest love.

“When I started to emancipate myself in marriage, there were arguments. Also because of Boris's lies about his finances.”

The Dutch model added not knowing Becker’s current address made divorce proceedings difficult, with no court date set for the case.

Her lawyer said Becker “does not provide any reliable information about the current state of affairs”.

Kerssenberg also accused the former tennis player of stopping paying child support for their son Amadeus, 13.

And she said her former partner waited 10 days after his release from jail to call the boy, when she said he spoke to the teen on the phone for just two minutes on Christmas Day.

Asked if Becker was capable of showing love, she said: “Boris loves his children and his mother. In the form in which love is possible for him.”

Becker announced in February 2009 on German TV that he and Kerssenberg were getting married. They got hitched in St Moritz, Switzerland, four months later.

They had Amadeus in February 2010 but eight years later the pair announced they had separated, before they launched into a series of court hearings in which they accused each other of “unreasonable behaviour”.

Becker was released from prison on December 15 and immediately deported to his native Germany under an early release scheme. He is barred from returning to Britain.

He is now dating risk analyst Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro.