card, what do I want to write under ‘occupation’? Ex-tennis player? Or what else?”
Boris Becker now writes “entrepreneur”. He rolls the word over his tongue like a connoisseur savouring a particularly fine vintage red. Despite setbacks in some of his business ventures, he takes pride in what he has achieved. His portfolio now comprises sports equipment, real estate and three car dealerships for Mercedes- Benz, for which he also acts as a brand ambassador. There is also a “Becker Private Office” in Mayfair, focusing on real estate and energy. So what is his business philosophy?
“Loyalty and trust are key. People respect me for that. These two qualities are the cornerstones of who I am. In business, especially with very wealthy and well-connected people, they are very important. These people feel like they can trust me. And they can.”
It is such personal attributes, rather than the wealth he has achieved, that clearly make Becker proud. So from the vantage
“ Sport is probably the only career where you have to make a total transition so early in life. I had my share of finding that difficult.”
point of his 45 years, with the transition from multiple Grand Slam winner to entrepreneur well behind him, what would his advice be to Team GB’s young gold medallists, who are sampling the heady days of sporting glory now?
“Don’t believe the hype,” comes the prompt reply. “Enjoy the moment but then go back to reality and hard work. Remember, that’s what made you strong in the first place.”
For athletes nearing the end of their sporting careers, such as six-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy, Becker has a word of warning. “By the time the Olympics in Rio come round he’ll be 40. I doubt he’ll be physically capable of
competing at the top then. He should give himself time to think about what he wants to do with the rest of his life. At 36, he’s not old – there’s still much for him to look forward to. But sport is probably the only career where you have to make that total transition so early in life. I had my share of finding that difficult. It takes time.”
The difficulty of making that transition may be part of the reason why Becker is not pushing his sons to follow him into top-level sport. His eldest, Noah, from his first marriage to Barbara Feltus, is now 18 – older than Boris was when he first won Wimbledon. “He was a very talented basketball player,” explains Becker with pride. “He was actually chosen for the under-16 German national team. But one day he came to me and said: ‘Dad, I’m not as motivated as you. I don’t have it in me. Please don’t force me.’ And I said: ‘Well, it’s your life.’”
Becker is aware that being the child of a famous father can be a burden, and he tries to open up routes for his children to find their own niche in life. One such opportunity came through Laureus when
8 | Informed — Winter 2012
Images: Steve Powell/Getty Images, David Cannon/ALLSPORT and Getty Images for Laureus