"I’m in a cage with a bunch of psychopaths" - Boris Becker reminisces on life behind bars and notes kind gesture Djokovic completed for his family

Boris Becker gave an insight into his tormented stint in prison. Described in his new book 'Inside', he opens up about his distressing time behind bars and what prison really is like.

The six-time Grand Slam champion was sentenced to two and a half years to jail. After being made bankrupt back in 2017, he hid millions of assets which fell afoul of the law. This would come in April 2022, where he was sent to HMP Wandsworth to do his time. 

“I heard the screaming and I didn’t know what it was,” Becker said, reminiscing on his time in prison. He spoke of the first three days, which were a bank holiday, describing the traumatic events which occurred. “That Friday night until the Tuesday morning when I finally was let out to speak to the Listeners [trusted prisoners who support new inmates] were the three most difficult nights of my life.

“You can’t sleep because all of it is true. In jail people do kill themselves, people do harm themselves and people do go crazy. It’s the harsh reality when you have never been to prison and that’s what your lawyers don’t tell you before – maybe not to scare you. HMP Wandsworth is probably one of the toughest prisons in the UK so to be put in there was quite a shock.”

“This is torture," Becker continued. "Surviving it all is an impossibility. I’m in a cage with a bunch of psychopaths. I’m alone and I’m lost. It’s easier said than done, but you have to find a way. Time is your enemy inside because the clock ticks very slowly. It’s 22 hours a day inside a tiny cell and that’s hard.”

When away from society, he was able to think about the situation he was in. “You have to take real accountability and a cell life gives you that opportunity," he admitted. "I like to think I’m a pretty bright guy and eventually, you start thinking about the whys, ifs and whens of all that happened. Three years later, the reason I’m doing well is because I took full accountability for the good and bad I did. But whoever says a prison life is easy is lying. It’s a real punishment.”

A benevolent warder, Andy Small, persuaded the German to take up a course in stoicism. “It helped me and eventually, I became a stoic teacher myself where I could talk to inmates and try to rehabilitate some of them in the hope that, once they’re out, they stay on the straight and narrow," Becker said. "Andy was a very tough guy who ran the gym but he showed me how I could tell young prisoners my life story, about having everything and losing everything, and not be too down about it."

He looked back on an important moment in his life. “That was huge for me. Andy put his faith into me and I think I delivered. It’s the same now. I read lots of books and I recommend the philosophy of stoicism to people who have issues in the free world. It’s more important than ever with the trying times we live in.”

He made the realisation that he was a stoic from his tennis days. “I was a stoic without knowing it when I was playing tennis. I lived in the moment and I never really had difficulties with pressure on court," he said. "I always felt comfortable in my own skin when I was playing tennis. I used some of the stoic methods when I was a tennis player. I just didn’t know it.”

Becker did have some fleeting positive moments. He remembered watching Novak Djokovic win his seventh Wimbledon title against Nick Kyrgios on a small television in his cell. He had coached the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the past, and remained on good terms, so it was a special moment not just enjoyed by the former number one.

“I wasn’t afraid any more. And when Novak won, and raised his arms, I stood up and raised my arms too," he stated. "As I did so, the noise along the wing broke out again, louder than ever before. The banging didn’t stop for 10 minutes. On walls, on doors. With cups, with chairs. It had taken me two weeks to educate them that this was my man, and now I realised. They had understood. I stood there and I cried.”

It was even more special for Becker knowing that his partner (and now wife) Lillian and son Noah were in the box for every tie in a special touch from the Serbian. “I saw them ringside at every game, and that’s what I call true friendship, that you’re not forgotten," he said gratefully. "I always thank Novak for this special memory."