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Post by Slinger on Apr 29, 2022 15:52:49 GMT
And the answer is... Boris Becker jailed for two-and-a-half years
for flouting terms of his bankruptcyTennis star Boris Becker has been jailed for two years and six months for flouting the terms of his 2017 bankruptcy. The 54-year-old was earlier this month found guilty of transferring hundreds of thousands of pounds from his business account and failing to declare a property in his home town of Leimen in Germany. The former men's world number one and three-time Wimbledon champion was also convicted of hiding an €825,000 (almost £700,000) bank loan and 75,000 shares in a tech firm. It followed a trial at Southwark Crown Court in central London on charges under the Insolvency Act. He was accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two Wimbledon trophies, to avoid paying his debts. The six-time Grand Slam champion told jurors his $50m (about £38m) career earnings were swallowed up by an expensive divorce to his first wife Barbara Becker, child maintenance payments and " expensive lifestyle commitments". Becker said he was " shocked" and " embarrassed" after he was declared bankrupt on 21 June 2017, over an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his estate in Mallorca, Spain. The German national, who has lived in the UK since 2012, insisted he had co-operated with trustees tasked with securing his assets, even offering up his wedding ring, and had acted on expert advice from advisers who managed his life. However, Becker, who was supported in court by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro and eldest son Noah, was found guilty of four charges. The court heard Becker received €1.13m (about £950,000) from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany, which was paid into a business account used as a " piggy bank" for his personal expenses. Becker was found guilty of transferring €427,00 (£356,000) to nine recipients, including the accounts of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely " Lilly" Becker, the mother of his fourth child. He was further convicted of failing to declare a property in his home town of Leimen, hiding an €825,000 (almost £700,000) bank loan on the house as well as 75,000 shares in tech firm Breaking Data Corp. SOURCEI honestly didn't expect a custodial sentence. I suppose I'm too used to seeing " names" treated differently than us plebs. Of course, he isn't English you know.  |
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Post by MartinT on Apr 29, 2022 16:17:52 GMT
Silly boy but the sentence seems a little harsh.
A bit like tax evasion, more 'serious' than murder.
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Post by julesd68 on Apr 29, 2022 19:47:44 GMT
He hid 5% of what he owes - probably thought it was just a drop in the ocean but he had already received a suspended sentence so not a surprise to see him locked up ...
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Post by speedysteve on Apr 29, 2022 21:09:33 GMT
On a lighter note,
Emma Raducanu just played a match on similar form to her US Open winning tennis!
From 2-5 down in the first set, dropping just 1 more game, finishing 6-2, 6-0 she changed her game and became resilient enough to put her opponent Martincova in real trouble.
Really smart tennis, working it out for herself.
She was serving well.
The old adage - if you are serving well you play well, certainly held true.
Confident drive volleys, wrong footing down the line shots, well disguised drop shots. All working well enough.
It's been months of not being in quite the right head-space (winning a major like she did, would do that to anyone), being injured etc.
This must be really tonic.
Madrid is clay, a surface Emma has little experience on (relatively), but it's fast clay (due to the altitude), the ball zips though more than at sea level (I kid you not)!
Let's see if she can keep up the momentum and find long term form on the tour, week in week out..
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Post by MartinT on Apr 29, 2022 22:00:52 GMT
I've just watched the highlights.
When she plays like that, you can believe she could beat anyone.
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Post by Slinger on Apr 30, 2022 13:32:05 GMT
In June 1989 Boris Becker played in, and won, the Wirral International Tennis Tournament in West Kirby and immediately handed over his £25,000 winnings to the Hillsborough Disaster Appeal Fund.  I never knew this until today. |
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Post by julesd68 on Apr 30, 2022 15:09:30 GMT
Great story.
There's obviously some decency in the boy, in spite of his somewhat eccentric accounting ...
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Post by speedysteve on May 1, 2022 15:34:55 GMT
Raducanu a set up vs Kostyuk.
A blink and you missed it almost set 6-2.
She lost to Kostyuk a while back (Ukrainian, a lot been going on for her too - she's very vocal against Russia / Russians and Belarusians - at just 19).
That was during the 'not right head space' post US Open win time.
Raducanu has come on leaps and bounds in the last few weeks.
Really working the clay well.
Plenty of tennis left though..
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Post by julesd68 on May 1, 2022 15:44:30 GMT
Maybe she is able to focus more on tennis now after her agents were chasing all of those lucrative endorsements and she was making lots of personal appearances etc
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Post by speedysteve on May 1, 2022 16:04:04 GMT
Yes, there was lots to do.
She wins 2 and 1. Clean strike tennis.
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Post by MartinT on May 1, 2022 16:56:38 GMT
It was no walkover, nice match.
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Post by julesd68 on May 2, 2022 9:30:44 GMT
I note that the Russian player Ksenia Palkina has got a 16 year ban for match fixing. Good. Sends out a strong message.
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Post by speedysteve on May 2, 2022 13:30:34 GMT
I note that the Russian player Ksenia Palkina has got a 16 year ban for match fixing. Good. Sends out a strong message. Yes, clear signal to others. She must have been desperate for cash and crossed the line. Career not going anywhere, all titles are minor ITF in places like Azerbaijan, Turkey etc back in around 2009. Not WTA tour. Don't get me wrong, that's a lot better than you or I😂 You don't make any money with a peak top ranking of 168! She's 32 now. Some of the ban is suspended though. She'll be well past it (even ITF) when the ban is over. No career left. |
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Post by speedysteve on May 8, 2022 20:07:33 GMT
Carlos (or Carlitos, as he likes to be called) Alcaraz!
Been tracking him for a good while now.
He's 19.
Last year he was soso against the top players. Showing potential sure.
This year he's started to make real inroads.
Recently he won the Miami Hardcourt ATP 1000.
Now he's beaten Nadal and Djokovic in back to back matches and won the final against A Zverev 6-2, 6-1, to take the Madrid ATP 1000.
Zverev has won that 2 times before.
Home crowd pressure - nope!
He's the best sportsman out there.
Will always concede a point if the call is wrong as he sees it.
He just keeps the opposition guessing, power off both wings, very well executed dropshots, attacking net play - even his serve is becoming a weapon!
This is just the start..
Rome up next, then Roland Garros - French Open. What can he do there?
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Post by Slinger on May 8, 2022 23:26:08 GMT
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Post by MartinT on May 9, 2022 19:27:07 GMT
Now he's beaten Nadal and Djokovic in back to back matches and won the final against A Zverev 6-2, 6-1, to take the Madrid ATP 1000. I just managed to watch the highlights. What a player, cool as a cucumber but beautiful to watch. This Alcarez chap is one to look forward to in the grand slams. |
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Post by speedysteve on May 11, 2022 6:48:40 GMT
The Rome masters 1000 is ongoing.
Beautiful setting and different courts / stands make it rather special.
Alcatraz not playing this one.
Resting up saving himself for the French Open.
Djok through the 1st round.
Raducanu out to another teen US Open champ, Andreescu.
Retired injured.
Andreescu had problems after winning her US Open, wasn't enjoining the tennis. Fell off the tour rather for a while, really struggled.
She regrouped, got her head together, seems much happier now.
Clay is a tough surface on the body.
It's the uneven footing, slippy, clumpy, varying resistance to push off on.
I remember having 4 injuries in succession when the club I play at changed the courts for clay!
Both hip flexors and right adductor complained after slipping a few times when pushing off to recover back to the centre of the court.
I changed shoes again which helped.
Then I re-turned my left ankle. Had first done it years before.
Quite bad that one .
Then mildly did the right ankle too.
Have to wear ankle braces ala Andy Murray now!
She has my sympathy.
The women's winner, Ons Jabeur and runner up Jessica Pegula in Madrid are both playing.
1000s and Grandslams have so many matches in the early rounds, it's impossible to watch / track all.
It's like opening a massive chocolate box every time they start🙂
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Post by Slinger on May 11, 2022 15:07:38 GMT
Wimbledon set to LOSE ranking points as ATP
takes hardline stance on Russian player banWimbledon is in danger of losing its ranking points for this year’s tournament by the end of the week. Leading players have been pushing the ATP to strip the Grand Slam in response to the decision by the All England Club to ban players from Russia and Belarus from competing. ATP meetings were held in Madrid last week and are now taking place in Rome with the growing consensus of hardline action, potentially within the next 48 hours. The ATP had previously condemned the All England Club’s ban, so too the WTA Tour, and is looking at the possibility of axing ranking points at all UK grasscourt events prior to Wimbledon. Under Government advice, Wimbledon had effectively been left with a choice of either a ban on Russian and Belarusian players or else demanding signed declarations against the Ukraine war. The All England Club decided the latter option was too risky for the safety of the players in question and their families. Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said the Government would not back down over its position and guidance to sporting events like Wimbledon, despite criticism from the likes of Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He told Standard Sport: “ We completely supported the decision that Wimbledon made. The Government policy. While I understand there is some pushback from players and governing bodies, I can tell you it’s got overwhelming support from the population. People understand exactly why they’ve done that. “ I don’t think we can be any clearer that Russia and Belarus are pariahs on the world sporting stage,” he said, “ and they will continue to be as long as Vladimir Putin continues to behave in the way he has.” SOURCE
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Post by speedysteve on May 11, 2022 17:36:36 GMT
Invasions have consequences.
Not all will see things alike.
Either;
Poor, innocent sports people
Or
Potential propaganda tools of a rogue state that has invaded another peaceful sovereign state?
You decide.
Either way missiles are flying, people killing, people dying.
Playing tennis, small consideration.
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Post by speedysteve on May 18, 2022 13:16:58 GMT
Couple of clay feeder tournaments this week. Roland Garros French Open qualifying has started.. This guy (Jason Jung American) used to be on a tennis chat forum I'm on.. Nice to see him on Eurosport. Tough being good enough to be in the top 250 but not quite able to break through to the lucrative top 100 etc.  |
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