Wimbledon legend Boris Becker is no longer bankrupt after seven years: High Court judge says tennis star has done 'all he reasonably could do' after owing creditors £42m

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker is no longer bankrupt after seven years, as a High Court judge said he had done 'all that he could reasonably do' to meet his financial obligations.

The German tennis legend was declared bankrupt in 2017, owing creditors £42million over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Mallorca.

Now, Becker's representatives have said the former BBC commentator has settled with his trustees.

While bankruptcy orders end after a year in England and Wales, a judge suspended the automatic discharge of the order in 2018, due to Becker 'failing to comply with his obligations'.

But last month at the High Court in London, lawyers for Becker asked a specialist bankruptcy judge to lift the suspension, arguing he had done 'the best possible he is capable of doing' to meet his obligations. 

On April 24, his suspension was lifted and his bankruptcy automatically ended.

Boris Becker (pictured) appears at Southwark Crown Court on April 29, 2022

The German former tennis player was declared bankrupt in 2017. Pictured: Becker playing a backhand return during his second round match on Wimbledon's centre court in 1996

Germany's former tennis player Boris Becker (right) and Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro arrive at the Laureus Sports Awards ceremony

The tennis great previously served time in prison for hiding £2.5million pounds worth of assets and loans to avoid paying off debts.

He served time at HMP Wandsworth and Category C Huntercombe Prison near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. He was released in December 2022 and deported to his native Germany.

Giving written reasons for his decision on Wednesday, Judge Briggs said it would be 'perverse' not to lift the suspension.

He said: 'On the spectrum of bankrupts who range from 'difficult as possible and doing everything to frustrate the trustee's inquiries' to 'co-operative, providing information and delivering up assets', Mr Becker clearly falls on the right side of the line.

'Mr Becker has signed a statement of truth, engaged solicitors to ensure compliance with his obligations and entered a settlement agreement that benefits the joint trustees.

'I accept his evidence and find that objectively he has done all that he could reasonably do to fulfil his obligations to the joint trustees.'

At the hearing last month, Katie Longstaff, representing the joint trustees, said that while the application to lift the suspension was not opposed, she said 'for the record obviously we do not support it', claiming 'the creditors are still owed £42 million-odd'.

Louise Doyle KC, representing Becker,  said the former BBC commentator and his trustees had 'been able to resolve their differences' through a settlement agreement.

He said: 'That agreement has been formalised in writing. It affects a compromise of all outstanding matters in the bankruptcy although that is predicated on Mr Becker making payment which will have the effect of providing a substantial sum into the bankruptcy estate.'

Mr Doyle told the court that the resolution 'includes the outstanding trophies' and that Becker 'can't do more than he has done to bring us to this point'.

He continued: 'What the court should do, objectively speaking, is not to ask whether the bankrupt has done everything down the last dotted I and crossed T in terms of compliance, but whether in fact what he has done constitutes in the circumstances the best possible he is capable of doing in order to meet his obligations.'