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Boris Becker loses Spain home over unpaid bills

Former tennis star Boris Becker has had his holiday villa on the island of Majorca confiscated by Spanish authorities after not paying a builder's bill of €391,000 ($544,000).

Published: 17 March 2014 14:01 CET
Boris Becker loses Spain home over unpaid bills
Boris Becker's Majorca home nearly went under the hammer in 2012 in a similar case involving a €276,162 ($383,000) bill owed to a local gardener. Photo: Greg Wood

The six-time Grand Slam champion was told by a Palma judge that his nine-bedroom property would be auctioned off for €7 million.

The court's decision stems from unpaid carpentry, plumbing and surfacing bills for a basketball court on Becker's now former property.

His lawyer's claim that it was the real estate agent who sold the villa to Becker who was accountable for the bills, was rejected by the judge.

The heavily indebted Becker, now 46 and coaching world number 2 Novak Djokovic, purchased the property in the Spanish island of Majorca 17 years ago.

It nearly went under the hammer in 2012 in a similar case involving a €276,162 bill owed to a local gardener.

On that occasion, the former number one tennis star coughed up the sum to keep a hold of his holiday home.

Becker will now also have to pay an extra €24,000 in court fees and interest, Spanish online daily 20minutos reported.

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PROTEST

Racism ‘swept under carpet’ in Germany, says Boris Becker

Boris Becker says racism in Germany needs to be discussed openly after the tennis icon drew criticism on social media for taking part in a Black Lives Matter protest.

Published: 8 June 2020 17:15 CEST
Racism 'swept under carpet' in Germany, says Boris Becker
Boris Becker. Photo: DPA

The six-time Grand Slam champion claims he was the target of angry comments “from Germany” on Twitter after participating in an anti-racism demonstration in London over the weekend.

Becker spoke out in a video message posted on the platform.

“I must have hit a sore spot with my Tweet about my family history” and Black Lives Matter, said Becker, whose ex-wife Barbara is the daughter of an African-American, while the mother of his second wife Lilly comes from Suriname.

“In our country it is swept a bit under the carpet and I think that's a pity.

“We should talk about it much more publicly”, said the 52-year-old, who called for more social engagement against racism in his native country.

“We are all one family.”

In an earlier Tweet, Becker said he was “shocked, shaken and horrified” by the “many insults ONLY from Germany”.

“Why, why, why? Have we become a country of racists…?” he added.

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The death of George Floyd, who died in police custody on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparked protests across Europe and Germany at the weekend.

A reported 20,000 turned out in Munich, along with 14,000 in Hamburg, 10,000 in Stuttgart, and large gatherings also took place in Düsseldorf, Freiburg, Cologne, Hanover, Frankfurt and several other cities.

In Berlin, an estimated 15,000 people attended a demonstration at the central Alexanderplatz, despite a registration for only 1,500. Police used Twitter to tell protesters that the event was ‘full' just 45 minutes after its scheduled start time and asked people to stop arriving.

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