Boris Becker has spoken openly about the emotional turmoil he felt before being sentenced over bankruptcy offences.
The 55-year-old tennis star, who won Wimbledon at the age of 17 along with six grand slams, is expected to be released imminently after spending nearly eight months in prison.
He was convicted in April of hiding £2.5 million-worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.
A clip of Becker being interviewed as he awaits his sentencing has been released by the filmmakers of an untitled upcoming documentary.
Looking tearful, he said in April: “I’ve hit my (rock) bottom, I don’t know what to make of it.
“I (will) face (my sentence), I’m not going to hide or run away. (I will) accept whatever sentence I’m going to get.
“It’s Wednesday afternoon and (on) Friday I know the rest of my life.”
Becker, who has lived in London since 2012, is expected to serve half of his 30-month sentence behind bars and then reportedly be deported to Germany.
The Daily Mail quoted a UK government source in May saying Becker met the criteria to be considered for deportation and his case would be considered in the usual way.
Becker would qualify for automatic deportation because he is a foreign national who is not thought to have British citizenship and has received a prison sentence of more than 12 months.
He could appeal against the decision.
Director Alex Gibney and producer John Battsek, known for the Oscar-winning documentaries Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, and Searching For Sugar Man, respectively, have been documenting the tennis star’s life for three years in a series of “deeply intimate interviews”.
Apple TV+ said the two-part show explores the three-time Wimbledon champion and former world number one’s tennis career from the beginning as well as his “tumultuous” personal life.
Also interviewed is his immediate family and tennis rivals like American John McEnroe, Swedish Mats Wilander and fellow German Michael Stich.
Novak Djokovic, who Becker coached from 2013 to 2016 when the former tennis world number one won six grand slams, also appears.
Along with Bjorn Borg, former number tennis one who had been the youngest male Wimbledon champion at 20 years before Becker broke his record.
Becker was declared bankrupt on June 21st, 2017, owing creditors almost £50 million, over an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his estate in Majorca, Spain.
The former BBC commentator transferred almost 427,000 euros (around £390,000) from his business account to others, including to Sharlely “Lilly” Becker and to his other ex-wife Barbara Feltus.
Becker, who was handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion worth 1.7 million euro (around £1.4 million) in Germany in 2002, was found guilty earlier this year of four offences under the Insolvency Act between June 21st and October 3rd, 2017.
