"Late Night Switzerland" Boris Becker on SRF: "I left the devil inside me in prison"
Tennis legend Boris Becker appears on Stefan Büsser's SRF "Late Night" program - and hits the bull's eye: he wins the show match with charm and quick wit.
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- Boris Becker is reflective and self-deprecating in Stefan Büsser's SRF show, talking openly about his past, his autobiography and his time in prison.
- He emphasizes the importance of his wife Lilian as a stabilizing force in his life - the couple are expecting a child together in December.
- Becker looks back on previous bad decisions and emphasizes that today he knows better what is good for him - both privately and professionally.
Tennis legend Boris Becker is a guest on Stefan Büsser's SRF "Late Night" show - and engages in an entertaining verbal exchange with the host. With charm, self-irony and quick-wittedness, Becker quickly plays his way into the hearts of the audience and emerges as the clear winner in the end.
Boris Becker talks to Stefan Büsser about his highs and lows - and about his autobiography "Boris Becker Inside - winning, losing, starting again". "Now was the time to tell my story from my point of view," says Becker.
In his autobiography, the 58-year-old looks back on his greatest triumphs - and his bitterest defeats. Becker also speaks openly about his 231 days in British prison: "I lost the devil I have inside me in prison." He was not the tennis champion there, but just a number.
Becker says that in life - both on the court and in his private life - he has always pushed himself to his limits, sometimes even beyond them. "Today I know what is good for me - and what is not."
His wife Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, now wife number three, is a central pillar in his life. Today, she sometimes slows him down when he goes over the top again.
After his active tennis days, he was given bad advice, says Becker looking back. "We players are good sportsmen - but I didn't study, not law. For so-called clever advisors - and I'm a philanthropist - that was a feast for the eyes. Many of them didn't mean well by me."
Better times thanks to Novak and Lilian Becker
Becker also talks to Büsser about his time as Novak Djokovic's coach. He says he had a good time with the Serbian tennis star - and even felt part of the Djokovic family. Boris Becker was Djokovic's coach from the end of 2013 to 2016. Away from sport, they have one thing in particular in common: they both see themselves as real family people.
And the Becker family continues to grow: wife Lilian (35) is heavily pregnant. They are expecting their first child together in December - Becker's fifth.
Becker met Lilian, a risk analyst, at a party of friends - during one of the most difficult phases of his life. Becker told her about his failed second marriage, his bankruptcy and a broken knee. But she didn't let this put her off.
"Everything still works for me"
Becker talks about his wife Lilian with a lot of respect - and humor: "You have to play fair with a younger partner," he says. The decision to have a child together was a conscious one. And Becker adds with a grin: "Everything still works for me."
He owes another insight to his wife Lilian, says Becker with a grin: "It took me a long time to understand: 'Happy wife, happy life'."
Becker lives in Milan. Would a move to Switzerland be conceivable? Becker is clear, not at the moment, but he doesn't rule it out for the future. He likes Lugano and he likes Switzerland.
The audience laughs and is highly entertained. Boris Becker shows himself to be a charismatic personality - even off center court. Someone who has experienced a lot. And still has a lot planned.
