BORIS BECKER has been declared bankrupt over a debt outstanding since October 2015. Lawyers for the three-time Wimbledon winner pleaded with a bankruptcy court registrar in London on Wednesday for “a last chance” to pay a long-standing debt.

However, registrar Christine Derrett, who recalled watching him play, said it was “with regret” she had concluded there was a lack of credible evidence that his “substantial” debt would be paid soon and she refused to adjourn the case for a further 28 days. She said of the former tennis star: “One has the impression of a man with his head in the sand.”

The bankruptcy application was made by the private bankers Arbuthnot Latham & Co. in connection with a judgment debt owed to them by Becker dating back to 2015.

Becker’s lawyers had argued there was sufficient evidence to show that he would be able to pay the debt soon through a refinancing arrangement.

His advocate told the registrar his instructions from Becker were that it was expected the deal would be approved by a Spanish bank in approximately one month. The advocate said: “I don’t want to play around in court. It is clearly in the interests [of Arbuthnot Latham] for there to be refinancing.”

When the registrar was told that Becker was a television commentator, she replied that she knew who he was, adding: “I remember watching him play on Center Court, which probably shows my age.”

His advocate, John Briggs, said that someone in Becker’s position would not be prone to benefit from bankruptcy and it was likely to have an adverse effect on his “image.”

The judge said: “He should have thought about that a long time ago.”

She added: “It is not often the case that a professional person has a judgment [debt] outstanding against them since October 2015. This is a historic debt.”

(SD-Agencies)