Tennis 2022: Response from the ex-wife after the conviction of Boris Becker

Lilly, Boris Becker's ex-wife, spoke out after the the tennis legend was sentenced to prisonsaying the hardest part is telling their son his father isn't coming home.

Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Friday for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets from his creditors after being declared bankrupt.

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The German legend was found guilty last month of four charges under UK insolvency law, including failure to disclose, concealment and removal of significant assets.

The 54-year-old was found guilty of transferring money to his ex-wives Lilly, Barbara and Sharlely following his 2017 bankruptcy.

Speaking on Wednesday, Lilly Becker defended her estranged husband and called his sentence “harsh”.

“I completely broke down,” the Dutch model said on Piers Morgan's “Uncensored” show.

“I couldn't believe what I was hearing because I was convinced, until the judge gave his verdict, that he was going to lose a little over two and a half years.

“I had to hold on and I don’t know how I did it.”

Lilly said the first person to contact her was Becker's current girlfriend, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro.

“We all came together – the ex-wife, the children, his current girlfriend Lilian – the first thing we did was reach out to each other,” she told Talk TV.

“It’s hard because it’s public, it’s everywhere. It's difficult because everyone has an opinion on it, and rightfully so.

“I'm here to show everyone that he has a group of really strong women behind him, who are not here to speak for him, but to protect him.”

Lilly said telling their 12-year-old son two days later was “the hardest thing” she had ever had to do.

“I had to explain it to him,” she said.

“As a family, we deliberately didn't talk about the trial or anything.

“But I had no choice but to break my heart – or indeed his heart – last Sunday.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

Lilly and Boris Becker divorced in 2018 after nine years of marriage.

Martina Navratilova reacts to Boris Becker's conviction

Meanwhile, another tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, said Becker “should have been smarter”.

“Boris got some really bad advice, and then he made some really bad decisions,” she said on “Uncensored.”

“And now he’s paying the highest possible price.” I just hope he's okay and comes out well on the other side.

“My heart goes out to him and his family. He made some very big mistakes and he is paying dearly for them.

“He didn’t hurt anyone. He was just trying to save his own assets, but that obviously doesn't excuse evading taxes, etc.

“As tennis players, we depend on others to tell us what is right and what is wrong, lawyers (accountants), etc.

“I've had some really bad advice over the years, nothing illegal, but I've lost a lot of money because you depend on these people to do their job and you can do yours.

“I don’t want to excuse what Boris did. Once again, he pays dearly and I just hope his family survives intact and especially Boris because it's really hard.

with agencies

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