Less than a year after tennis legend Boris Becker was released from prison, he has become the coach of one of the game’s brightest young talents whom he described as a ‘diamond in the rough’. It has been announced the German will be in the corner of the world No.6 Holger Rune a month after he split with Patrick Mouratoglou.
Fify-six-year-old Becker last coached on the ATP Tour when he ended his successful three-year partnership with Novak Djokovic in 2016. The three-time Wimbledon champion is looking to bounce back after the most challenging time in his life which saw him convicted of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.
It was in April 2022 when Becker’s world came crashing down when he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after he was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act. He began his sentence at Wandsworth prison in West London before being transferred to HMP Huntercombe near Nuffield in Oxfordshire. However, he was released after eight months and has since described his experiences while he was in prison.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion recalled a number of incidents while he was inside, including death threats, grim conditions and the dangerous environment. In an interview with German broadcaster SAT.1 in December 2022, Becker described being in prison as the “loneliest moment” of his life. He also told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: “You fight every day for survival. Quickly, you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection. Whoever says that prison life isn’t hard and isn’t difficult, I think is lying.
“It was a very brutal … a very, very different experience to what you see in the movies, what you’ve heard from stories.” He added: “I’m a survivor; I’m a tough cookie. I’ve taken the incarceration, but I’ve also taken the glory and if anything this made me a stronger, better man.”
Becker says his harrowing experiences behind bars humbled him and made him stronger as he looks to rebuild not only his life but his reputation. After the release of his two-part Apple TV+ documentary ‘Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker’ in February, the tennis pundit quickly found himself back involved with the game when he offered his expert opinion for Eurosport during the 2023 French Open.
Now it has been confirmed that he will join Rune’s team until the end of the season after the pair had a training week together in Monte Carlo. “I can confirm that I am Holger Rune’s coach,” Becker told Eurosport Germany’s podcast. “It makes me a little proud that he asked me. The contact has existed for a long time.
“Now it was a very good fit. My calendar allows it and I have always been interested in Holger because he is on the tennis court with so much commitment and temperament.” Rune reached the French Open and Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023 and he captured the Munich title in April.
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But the Dane has been struggling for form since his appearance at the All-England Club after winning just one of his last nine matches. Becker will join Rune for next week’s tournament in Basel, with the priority of ensuring he qualifies for the ATP Finals in Turin in November.
“Holger is a rough diamond that needs polishing,” said Becker. “I like his emotional outbursts. I have coached a player before, Novak Djokovic, who was sometimes not quite himself on the court, but that is allowed.” There is currently no word on whether the German will continue coaching Rune once the season concludes, and Becker refused to speculate on the matter.
“There’s no point in signing a two-year contract now when you’ve only been cooperating for a week,” he added. “If you are successful, you usually stay together, no matter what the contract says. If not, everyone goes their own way again.”
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