Boris Becker may be preparing for the “final phase of his life” — but it still includes glamorous red carpet ceremonies if his final public appearance is anything to go by.
The disgraced former tennis star walked out of the Laureus World Sports Awards in Paris along with elegant girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro on Monday night after mingling with a star-studded guest list of sporting greats.
Becker, 55, had attended the ceremony just over five months after being deported from Britain to his native Germany, where he was serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for concealing millions in assets despite turning himself in. declared bankruptcy. .
The three-time Wimbledon champion looked immaculate in a black three-piece suit and polished dress shoes, paired with a crisp white shirt and skinny dark tie.
Meanwhile, partner Lilian looked nothing short of sensational in a dazzling burgundy dress with a big cutout.
She raised her body in a pair of sky-high heels and lugged her belongings around in a black handbag.
Dressed to impress: Boris Becker looked smart in a black suit as he got dressed with his glamorous partner Lilian at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Paris
Brave: The German tennis player, 55, dressed smartly for the evening in a black blazer, matching waistcoat and trousers which he paired with a crisp white shirt and skinny tie
The actress wore a pair of bold chunky gold hoop earrings and applied a flawless makeup palette, including a bold smoky eye shadow.
It comes after Boris said he was forced to make friends with the ‘tough guys’ in prison to survive as he vows to win ‘the fifth set’ of his life.
In an interview with 5 Live Breakfast, the three-time Wimbledon champion said incarceration was a ‘real punishment’ but that he had discovered he is a ‘survivor’.
The tennis great served eight months of his two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for hiding assets worth millions of pounds to avoid paying off debt. He served time in HMP Wandsworth and Category C Huntercombe Prison near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.
The six-time Grand Slam singles champion was released from prison in December and deported to his native Germany.
He said he was in talks with the “responsible people.”
The German, who has lived in the UK since 2012, was expected to serve half his sentence behind bars but was released in December and deported from the UK.
Stunning: Meanwhile, partner Lilian looked nothing short of sensational in a dazzling burgundy dress with a big cutout
Glamorous: She lugged her stuff around in a black clutch and accessorized with a bold pair of chunky hoop earrings
He is believed to have been transferred to a lower security prison, Category C Huntercombe Prison near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, for foreign criminals awaiting deportation in May 2022.
According to reports, he was previously held at Wandsworth category B prison in southwest London.
The six-time Grand Slam champion was eligible for automatic deportation because he is a non-British foreigner and has been jailed for more than 12 months.
He will not be allowed back on British soil until October 2024.
Ahead of the release of a new documentary about his life and career, Becker said time in prison was a “real punishment” and anyone who said it wasn’t very hard was being unfair.
“It’s a real punishment. It should be a punishment, being locked up and anyone who says life in prison is not difficult and not difficult is lying.
“I think it’s a very hard life and where I’m from I’ve never been in prison before so it was a very brutal, new, very different experience from what you see in movies or what you hear from stories .’
Becker said he was forced to befriend the “tough guys” at the prison to make sure he was safe, saying the prison is “very dangerous.”
Opening: It comes after the six-time Grand Slam singles champion spoke openly about his time in prison on 5 Live Breakfast
Verdict: Becker was released from prison and deported to Germany after serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence for failing to declare £2.5 million in assets to avoid paying debts
Wow: Boris Becker of Germany celebrates winning the 1985 Wimbledon Championships. He stunned the world when he broke into the tennis scene at just 17 years old
Prison is very dangerous. Like I said, it’s a dangerous place, you fight every day to survive.
“I was surrounded by murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists, by people smugglers, by dangerous criminals.
“You soon have to surround yourself with the ‘tough guys’ as I would call them, because you need protection. If you think you’re better than the rest, you lose. So that was the harsh reality of this every day, facing different people.
The former tennis star said he learned a lot about himself in prison, including that he is a “mensch” – a German word for person of integrity.