Boris Becker and his wife Lilly have parted ways after nine years of marriage. A Berlin lawyer for the couple confirmed the split in a statement to Bild newspaper on Tuesday. Lawyer Christian-Oliver Moser said: "The decision after a 13-year-long relationship and nine years of marriage wasn't an easy one." The former world number one tennis player married his second wife - full name Sharley "Lilly" Kerssenberg - in Switzerland in 2009; they welcomed their son Amadeus the following year. The lawyer added that the couple's main concern was their eight-year-old son, and that the separation was "amicable."
Boris Becker and his wife Lily have separated
News of the split comes almost a year after Boris was declared bankrupt. The three-time Wimbledon champion, 50, reportedly failed to pay long-standing debts, with his lawyers allegedly pleading with a Bankruptcy Court registrar for a "last chance" - but his plea was rejected. Earlier this year, Lilly opened up about the couple's fractured relationship. "I've had a rough year," she told The Daily Mail's Richard Eden. "At first, I let go completely - in every way. Too much drinking, too much smoking, too much going out and not caring. I thought: my life sucks and I'm going to die."
STORY: Boris Becker has been declared bankrupt
She added: "'We did couples' therapy. It was something we never thought we would have to do. It helped. We did an hour a day for five days a week. It was nice to have the input from someone on the outside who doesn't know you and isn't biased." Boris, who was once worth £27million, first hit the headlines back in 1985 when he became the youngest player to win Wimbledon at 17. The tennis star then went on to win six grand slams and then act as coach to former World No.1 Novak Djokovic. In 2015, Boris opened up about his love for Wimbledon in a candid interview with HELLO! Magazine. "I very much feel Wimbledon is home," he shared. "It was always my emotional home, my sporting heritage. It was here I played my best and won my most important matches."
EXCLUSIVE: Boris Becker on his love of Wimbledon and baby plans with wife Lilly