Boris Becker rules out a Wimbledon return in his first UK interview since being released from prison

• Boris Becker has ruled out a return to Wimbledon coverage later this year
• He said he would have to “take his time” before returning to the UK
• Becker spoke in his first interview since his release from prison

Boris Becker has officially ruled out a return to tennis coverage for Wimbledon this summer following his release from prison.

The three-time Wimbledon champion was sentenced to two and a half years in prison last April after failing to declare £2.5million in assets to avoid paying a debt.

In the end he served eight months and the former world number 1 was then deported to Germany.

The 55-year-old has now given his first British television interview since his release when he was asked about his time in prison and his future on ITV show This Morning.

Despite appearing regularly as a pundit at Wimbledon for the BBC, the German feels he needs to give himself more time before returning to the Grand Slam event.

“I miss London, it’s my favorite city in the world,” Becker told Metro on Tuesday.

“I’ve been there a long time. I will miss Wimbledon this year. I need to take my time before I come back.’

Becker, speaking on a live stream from Dubai, also said his “sports history” helped him during his time in prison.

He added: “You’re famous, everyone knows who you are. It can play against you. Luckily they liked my personality.

“The only thing you have is your character and your personality. This is your currency. If they think you have money, you have a problem anyway, so that wasn’t a problem for me.

“They liked tennis, they liked what I did. tennis fans. My sporting past helped me survive prison.”

Although he will not return to BBC Wimbledon coverage, he appeared as a pundit on Eurosport – based in Germany – for the Australian Open.

He served his eight-month sentence first at HMP Wandsworth, category B, and then at Hunterscombe, the lower category C.

He is banned from re-entering the UK indefinitely – although there’s no chance that’s before Wimbledon, which starts later this year on July 3.

Becker had previously given an interview to German television after his release.

In the Sat1 interview with the German presenter Steven Gatjen, he said: “You’re nobody in prison. you are a number Mine was A2923EV. I was a number And they don’t care who you are.”

He adds: “I think I rediscovered the person I used to be. I’ve learned a hard lesson. A very expensive one. A very painful one. But the whole thing taught me something important and good. And some things happen for a good reason.”

About the morning of his deportation he says: “I sat on the edge of the bed from six in the morning and hoped that the cell door would open.

“They came at half past six, unlocked the door and asked: are you ready? I said, ‘Let’s go!’ I had already packed everything.”

However, Becker also revealed how convicted murderers threatened to kill him in prison, both for his money and to let him do their laundry.

He said: “I thought I was going to lose my life in Wandsworth, someone, a murderer who I found out later wanted my coat and he wanted money and he said he would kill me if he didn’t get it.

“Then in Huntercombe another killer said they wanted to kill me, he told me what he would do to me if I didn’t let him do my laundry, that was just recently, in October, and when he told me that my food tray wobbled .

“But the next day he finally got on his knees in front of me, apologized and kissed my hand and said he respected me.”

On April 7, an Apple documentary about the German titled “Boom! Boom! The world against Boris Becker”.

The trailer was released on Thursday and features tennis legends like John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Novak Djokovic who have worked with Becker as a coach and reflect on his legacy.

During his time in prison, Becker breaks into tears and chokes as he admits, “I’ve hit rock bottom. But that’s not the end, there will be another chapter.”