Former German tennis star Boris Becker faces demands for the repayment of 61 million euros ($71.6 million) in debt, German media reported with reference to ongoing British insolvency proceedings.
Becker was declared bankrupt by a London court three months ago. According to reports on Wednesday night, the former tennis star is now attempting to auction off his Wimbledon trophies in a bid to raise funds and may yet face more claims from debtors, reports Xinhua news agency.
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Media cited the financial services firm Smith & Williamson as having calculated Becker’s total liabilities at 61 million euros and his remaining assets at only 540,000 euros ($633,376).
German tabloid Stern wrote that the single largest claim against Becker was made by German investor Hans-Dieter Cleven for 38.4 million euros ($45 million).
Cleven was involved in several business ventures with Becker since 1999 and has also lodged financial claims against his former partner during parallel legal proceedings in Switzerland.
Becker’s attorney Christian-Oliver Moser denied the reports, however, noting that the level of liabilities cited by media was based solely on the assessment of debtors.
Moser noted that the insolvency court had yet to decide whether the debt claims cited were legitimate and expressed confidence that the final figure would be lower.