Boris BECKER

Today, Boris Becker all phones are disconnected from the outside world. The reason is known: a divorce from his wife Barbara, daughter Annie recognition of paternity and payment of alimony Russian mulatto Angela Ermakova, plus ... Plus terrible duty of the tax police in Germany. Our correspondent Igor Fein still managed to take a great tennis player exclusive interview.

- This is Igor from Moscow ...
- Yes.

- You got my "questionnaire"?
- Yes.

- Are you ready to talk?
- Yes. Provided that no one will ever know, by what number you found me ... By the way, how do you know him?

- Let me not to disclose my sources of information. Is it true that you like and Dad your great compatriot Steffi Graf, have come under closer supervision of the tax police?
- True.

- In many "flew"?
- A decent.

- And after all?
- It turns out that my agent (I had already fired) hid 35 million marks. Score went from 93-th year. With per cent had received 50 million. The case is in court. We understand. In prison, as Herr Graf, I will not go. You know, I am a law-abiding citizen. All that is owed under the law, I cry. , Including Angela. You did it want to know?

- Boris, as well as all this happened that you got in touch with a Russian?
- It is not something ... I often come to England, saw her at the most fashionable receptions. She looks great, is worn by the best couturiers, it is always accompanied by famous people. I knew that she was Russian - though dark-skinned. It seems to be her father - from Nigeria, studying with you and married there the girl. Once we were introduced. She did not deny that I liked. But I've never unfaithful to his wife. Everybody knows.

- So how do you honored?
- I do not understand. As far as I remember it was at a banquet after Wimbledon, where I as a three-time winner was the guest of honor. Then, as usual, - gala dinner. I remember that we are with Angela danced and kissed, but then what - kill, do not remember. As it turned out, she dragged me in the back room is very prestigious Japanese restaurant "Nobu", which usually go to London celebrities - and the "best".

- And then what?
- Angela filed in court to determine paternity of my. But I did not refuse. And she hired superadvokatov - those who represented the interests of Princess Diana in her divorce with Prince Charles. I wonder where she took that kind of money? She, an ordinary model? I spoke with her mother. She convinced me that Angela does not need the money, that it only cares about the fate of girls, that she should have the same rights that my two sons. Well, I promised all of this - and do. 6 million marks I paid. Although I am Angela proposed a special fund for the education of Ani. Under the condition that she will keep secret the birth of daughter. She did not agree. Demanded indemnity. I did not think that the Russian are greedy. She wanted the hype, boom ...

- But it is everywhere said, and wrote to you, and I called him, and even Barbara said that she had a daughter from you ...
- Vranje. I discussed all this with my wife. No she did not call and nothing similar is not reported.

- And yet you have agreed to all conditions of Angela ...
- And what could I do? So be happy. If you can be happy if they treat people, to father her child. Anya is very dear to me: it is the same - I spilled. The same red-haired, freckled. I do not regret that the whole story finally emerging. But I am sorry about my beloved Barbara: devil misled. Although, after discussing the situation with experienced people who agree: I was simply substituted. Someone very much like dirty Boris Becker. I am convinced that it made the Russian mafia. If so, then they succeeded.

- Have you been burying myself?
- In no case. Barbara understands everything and has forgiven me.

- Once you have sued 20 million marks?
- Why you all comes down to money? This is my problem

. - But now with Barbara and his sons, Noah Gabriel and Elias Balthasar? By the way, where such exotic names?
. - Noah, named in honor of my deeply respected French tennis Janika Noah (your audience should remember him, he is now captain of France), which had the honor to meet on court
. And so called wife, Barbara: one of her relatives bore the name. Relationship with his wife bad. I am terribly in love with her. And she, I dare to hope, loves me too. I just have behaved badly, and she was offended. Now, on the court, I gave it to our apartment in Miami and a lump sum of 20 million marks. But we agreed that I can see his sons, when I want.

Let's also remember who this Boris Becker. As is known, until 1967 the whole tennis world is clearly divided into two camps: the "elite", that is professional and so-called "Amateur", fans. "Profi" played for a lot of "grandmother" in their tournaments, fans - for purely symbolic, in their. The cup was too aces decision of the International Tennis Federation not to allow them to so-called "Grand Slam" - the Australian Open, . unofficial world championship on the ground "Rolland Garros (French Open), . legendary Wimbledon (unofficial world championship on the grass) and the U.S. Open,


. But in the end still the maestro, "pros" won the dispute with the ITF (since it became known as the Association of Tennis Professionals - ATP and dictating its terms to all, . including the much-respected people in her circles, . as the founding fathers of the Kremlin Cup Yuri Luzhkov and Shamil Tarpischev),
. Won our. And the athletes, and the country as such. Because the bosses of the Soviet sports to know how many and what are our superchempiony. Just for coming to one of the Grand Slam of our really cool tennis supposed reward of 50 thousand dollars. However, the money athletes were required to hand over to the cashier "favorite" Goskomsport.

His eyes saw Anatoly Karpov gave at this very desk, 85 per cent of its fee for honestly won somewhere overseas tournament. And as the great David Bronstein, . chess, . Grandmaster, . Mikhail Botvinnik opponent in a match for the title of world champion, . returning from overseas lecture and simul, . ran along the old Arbat street in search of the Sports Committee of the USSR with one thought - to get their work received for the money ..,
.

Our "little brothers" - Romanians - understood by all much earlier. Ion Cyric, Ilie Nastase, "slip away" from Romania at the earliest opportunity. In the "pros". Citizens of the former "socialist" Yugoslavia were also on alert - and the best tennis player of the SFRY Nicola Pilich became the coach hopeful Boris Becker.

For several years he makes a weedy "saffron milk" Best Junior of Germany, and 17 brought him to court at Wimbledon. And the Russian-Estonian German wins! Never before in this age have not won Wimbledon. "Boom-Boom", as he was called by the initial letters of the name, but first and foremost a terrible effect on the filing, forever won the hearts of prim English.

Twice more Becker is the champion of the most prestigious tennis tournament. And - vusmert arguing with Pilichem, but mentors invites again representative of the former socialist countries - Romanian Ilie Nastase. Works with him for four years, did not win, cursing - and, of course, parted.

Lamour ... and Bor is not up to tennis. He was terribly in love with fashion model and pop singer Barbara Faltus. What is surprising - and she had. The whole of Germany discussed the marriage. Most cheered Boris and Barbara. But the "blond beast", mostly from the former GDR, hated his idol. Of course, the ideal of "true Aryans" married to black! They began to picket the house, covered all trash lawn, Barbara, when it was born, Noah, with a sidecar were not allowed on the street. In the end, was thrown out the window firebomb. The house burned down. Then Boris, were finishing a career, decided to move or Monaco, or even overseas, to the States. This is where it all happened ... Angela, the tax police - the whole life awry ...

- Boris, you are even in this interview emphasized pedaling - say, your country. You have some special relationship to Russia?
- And then you do not know ... My grandfather and grandmother - Estonian Germans (or German Estonians?). They fled from the USSR, when your troops come to the Baltic. By the way, and so I was only in Germany called Boris with an accent on first syllable. And so I - Boris (with the accent on the second syllable).

- Boris (can it?), Who you are and what you are today, with all these disruptions?
- I am an employee of marketing for "Mercedes". We realize your exclusive task of my new agent for the sale of players. Here, incidentally, is because I had facilitated the transition of Andrei Shevchenko from Dynamo in Milan. The talks were held back when I myself was an active sportsman and played in tournaments. One of them approached me your Andrei Medvedev and asked for help in the case of Shevchenko. I have connected, and we quickly settled all problems, even your taciturn Valery (so?) Lobanovsky calmed. And he in fact did not want to let Andrew, for any money. And actually I - vice-president of FC Bayern Munich, which has so convincingly trumped your FC Spartak Moskva. Me, when I finished with tennis, invited for the post "Kaiser Franz" - Franz Beckenbauer. Igor, I'm only 34 years old, do you really think that my life is over?

- Yet it would be a tax investigation?
- I repeat, I am pure before God and people ...

The point is that, formally the residence of Boris Becker is the principality of Monaco, his house in the vicinity of Monte Carlo. House purchased in 1985, when the young German won his first Wimbledon Championships. Practice this - an ordinary and well-known. After all, in Monaco is very low taxes. So many celebrities - sports, movies, pop music, fashion business - buy real estate in this microstate. Even our Andrei Chesnokov, Marat Safin, a former "our" Sergey Bubka prefer formal number of residents of Monaco. But the Munich tax office, investigators believe that the Becker only pretended to live in the Mediterranean, and in fact, ever since the 1985-th, and as much of the 1993rd - most of the time spent in his native town of Lyman, near Munich. And then, had to pay taxes in Germany, but not in Monaco. According to their data, Boris concealed from the German treasury at least 50 million marks, or 25,5 million dollars, for what is believed up to 10 years imprisonment. However, it is possible that Becker would be able to negotiate with the authorities. If the parties go to the world, Boris will still have something to pay, but the amount is reduced exactly by half.

- Agree, it's great hit on your pocket ...
- I do not get used to ... Divorce with Barbara, Angela alimony - that it was a blow. Especially since it all happened so suddenly and quickly. But I'm not poor, not poor. No wonder so many koryachilsya on the court. I still have a very decent advertising contracts. You'll laugh, but I still - almost a national hero of Germany. All this hype around me I only played into the hands of

. - But why, in this case, you do not use their authority, image and experience to prepare the team in Germany to Davis Cup (unofficial team championship tennis)?

. But quickly realized that coaching activities - not mine. Too me alive player. I'm playing in a veterans' tournament, so recently won from the very Bjorn Borg in the finals (Swede Borg to Becker was "the first racket of" the world). Instead of lead, suggest, advise, comfort, I want myself to run out on the court. And it does not matter. So I refused and accepted the offer Beckenbauer to work in football for Bayern. There's something I really like on the field is not run-down.

Source: 'Alphabet'