Boris Becker: Fallen tennis idol on the Berlinale big screen

I was 6 years old and two months away from starting school when Boris Becker won the men's singles championship for the first time on the hallowed grass courts of Wimbledon in July 1985.

The memory is somewhat blurry, and probably only exists because that was the only summer when the television was on during the day at our place. No one in my family and none of my friends played tennis, but it was a given that we would all witness this German teenager become a global sensation at just 17 on those grass courts in London.

Filmmaker Alex Gibney focuses extensively on this particular summer in his documentary "Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker," which had its world premiere at the 2023 Berlinale, Berlin's annual film festival. Gibney's film is dedicated to the man behind the public image, whom many have taken for granted.

A winner like no one before

"Something like this had never happened before," Becker says in the movie. On July 7, 1985, the tennis player became the youngest ever winner of the men's singles at Wimbledon — a record that still stands today.

His trademark fist-clenching gesture; the way he dove to return a hit from his opponent; the way he blew on his fingertips before serving; his powerful serves and returns and all-around quick, physical play: It earned him the nickname "Boom Boom" from the British tabloids. Becker hated it.

Following his record-breaking triumph, Becker went through a dry period without any Grand Slam wins, but he successfully defended his Wimbledon title in 1986.

Still, he wasn't really excited about driving through his hometown of Leimen, southwest Germany, in a motorcade. And when a public idol withdraws from public affection, people become skeptical.

"People, especially in Germany, don't accept that the youngest Wimbledon champion has grown up," Becker said before the film premiere in Berlin.

'Triumph' looks at Becker's greatest duels

"Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker," an Apple TV+ production, consists of two films. Only the first part is featured at the Berlinale. Called "Triumph," it is essentially a summary of Becker's greatest duels against Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg and John McEnroe, staged like a Western and with a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. The player's former companions and opponents share their memories.

Becker's fall from greatness is only alluded to in this part. Director Gibney met Becker in 2019 for the first exhaustive interview. The second one followed in 2022 — two days before Becker's arrest. "I have reached my lowest point," Becker says into the camera, his eyes red-rimmed.

In 2022, a London court sentenced Becker to 2 1/2 years in prison for concealing his wealth during a bankruptcy process that began in 2017. He was freed after eight months under the condition that he would leave the United Kingdom. Becker states in the film that he did not understand why he was sentenced. In interviews given to German media upon his release and return to Germany, however, he admitted to his guilt.

Addiction, divorce and private failure

After the Wimbledon victory in 1985, Ion Tiriac, Becker's legendary manager, told him what was to come and what the world would expect of him. A British newspaper wrote that Michael Jackson and Madonna would have to make space for this boy. Becker appeared on Johnny Carson's famous US late-night TV show and was asked if his triumph in sports had resulted in success with women.

It was obvious now that the world was not only interested in Becker the sportsman, but also in his private life. Failure could turn ugly. The British tabloids suggested after Becker's losses that the player had probably had too much sex.

Public attention, sponsor dates, tournaments and jet lag: Becker took to medicating himself with sleeping pills, an addiction about which he speaks openly in the film. His performance on court suffered: "The Germans would crucify me if I didn't win," he told the audience at the Berlinale.

In one scene in the documentary, the former player revisits the place where he experienced great victories: His living room, as he calls Wimbledon. At the exit of the passageway that leads to center court, two lines from British poet Rudyard Kipling's "If—" are displayed: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same."

The first part of the film doesn't dive into his private failures: affairs, a daughter conceived in a restaurant broom closet, his divorce with all its drama, public mudslinging and failed relationships. In 2002, he was tried in a German court for tax evasion and managed to get a suspended prison sentence. He lost millions in his investments because he was too trusting. In his later bankruptcy proceedings, even his trophies were auctioned off.

Becker had no idea of his own finances

Tiriac explains that a tennis player earns 10 to 15% of their income through tournaments. If that's right, Becker would have earned around $25 million (€23.4 million) through his tournaments and much more through his ad contracts with companies like Coca-Cola. So how could he have squandered all his wealth?

Becker says in the film that while he was playing professionally, he didn't know how much money he had in his bank account; there was no doubt that it was more than enough. After his career ended, he had no idea how to manage his finances and continued to maintain his lifestyle despite a reduced income.

"I am the last person to complain about my life," he said in Berlin, adding that he has made mistakes, like every other person does. "The difference, in my case, is that the world gets to know about it."

Becker is not completely innocent when it comes to his public image. In the last 40 years, he has appeared muddled and thoughtless in public appearances and exposed private details. It's easy to laugh about the fallen idol. "Once you reach a certain level, they want to destroy you," former Swedish tennis top-seed Björn Borg says in the documentary.

This discrepancy is a godsend to filmmakers. Gibney, an Oscar winner for the 2007 documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side," and producer John Battsek ("Searching for Sugar Man," 2012) specialize in documentaries focusing on one person, their success, heroism and admiration, followed by failures and condemnation until an almost normal person emerges from behind the public image: one who is forgiven and then rises like a phoenix.

At the Berlinale, Becker was asked about his expectation of the film. "I hope that everyone has the opportunity to see another side of this famous guy who's sitting here," he said.

This article was originally written in German.