Novak Djokovic said he supports the family of Boris Becker as he has revealed that his disgraced coach will be visited by two of his sons for the first time in prison in the coming days.
At a Wimbledon press conference, the world number one said he communicated with Becker, his former coach, through the German’s family members.
Djokovic said Becker’s eldest son Noah (28) and his younger brother Elias (22) will visit their father ‘in the next few days’.
Becker, the former world number one and BBC commentator (54), was jailed for two-and-a-half years in April for hiding £ 2.5m worth of assets and loans to avoid paying off his debts pay.
The six-time Grand Slam champion is currently serving his sentence at HMP Huntercombe, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, after being convicted earlier this year.
Djokovic told reporters ‘it breaks my heart’ to see his former coach behind bars.
Novak Djokovic has revealed that three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker will be visited by two of his sons in prison for the first time in the coming days. In the photo: the couple together in 2014
The Serbian tennis star presented Becker’s girlfriend, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, and Noah in his player’s box at The Championships in a token of support for the family.
Djokovic spoke on Wednesday after winning his second-round singles match, saying: ‘I did not communicate with him directly, but I communicated with him through them.
‘I was very happy to be able to host his girlfriend and his son, Noah, after my first round and now today’s second round match.
‘Noah and his younger brother Elias are going to visit Boris, I think in the next few days, for the first time since he went to jail.
‘I was just trying to support people around him, his closest people, his family members, because I really regard Boris as a family member, someone I really appreciate, respect and care about.
‘We went through a lot together during those three years of collaboration.
Djokovic celebrates on Wednesday that he beat Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.
In the photo: Novak Djokovic housed Boris Becker’s girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro and son Noah Gabriel Becker in his box during his round two victory on day three of Wimbledon
“Our relationship dates back even before that.
‘Of course, after we completed our professional relationship, we always stayed close, he with my team, with my agents, with my family.
‘It breaks my heart to see what happens to him. I can only imagine how difficult it is for his family members.
‘So, of course, this is a small gesture of friendship to invite them.
“He knows and they know they can always count on me for whatever support or help I can offer.”
Becker was declared bankrupt on 21 June 2017 – with creditors close to £ 50 million – over an unpaid loan of more than £ 3 million on his estate in Mallorca.
Becker (54) (pictured above) was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in London’s Southwark Crown Court on April 29 after being convicted of four charges under the Insolvency Act
The German, who has lived in the UK since 2012, is expected to serve half of his sentence behind bars.
This comes after viewers hacked the BBC over remarks made by Wimbledon presenters Sue Barker and John McEnroe who sent their support to former colleague Boris while he was serving his prison sentence.
During the first day of coverage yesterday, seven-time Grand Slam winner McEnroe commented: ‘Boris, we love you. We miss you, man. ‘
He was joined by Barker, who anchored the tournament coverage for the last time, who said: “We are doing it indeed, well said.”
The words provoked anger from some viewers who were angry about the apparent support for the convicted criminal, who was part of the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon last year but was jailed on April 29 this year.
Some viewers beat the presenters and suggested that they should not show support for the 54-year-old on the air.