Becker to return to tennis with Rune coaching role
Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker says he is the new coach of Denmark’s world number six Holger Rune.
Becker was released early from a UK prison last December having been found guilty of hiding £2.5 million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.
The 55-year-old German coached Novak Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, in which time the Serb won six Grand Slams.
His new charge Rune, 20, has been tipped as a future Slam champion, but has won only one match since Wimbledon.
Rune reached the quarter-finals at SW19 this year, equalling his best run at a major, but lost in straight sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Becker revealed his new role as Rune’s coach on a German Eurosport podcast.
“It makes me a little proud that he asked me,” Becker said. “The contact has existed for a long time. Now it was a very good fit.
“My calendar allows it and I have always been interested in Holger because he is on the tennis court with so much commitment and temperament.”
Six-time Grand Slam winner Becker was jailed for two and a half years in April 2022 after being found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.
Upon his early release, he was deported to Germany and, under the terms of his licence, will not be able to return to the UK before October 2024 – which would prevent him coaching at next year’s Wimbledon.
Other than his three-season spell working with Djokovic, Becker has spent the majority of his post-playing career as a pundit and commentator for media organisations including the BBC.