The contrast could hardly be greater. In November Boris Becker was still in a prison in England for bankruptcy offences. Just three months later, in February of this year, the tennis legend was seen alongside other world stars in the flashbulbs of the Berlinale film festival.
The occasion was the screening of the documentary “Boom! Boom! – The World vs. Boris Becker”. Director Alex Gibney has made a film about the ups and downs of Becker’s life. It will be available on Apple TV on April 7th.
For the two-parter, Gibney interviewed the tennis star in 2019. And in 2022, a few days before his sentencing in London to two and a half years in prison. According to the verdict, he had concealed assets worth millions from his insolvency administrators. In December, the ex-tennis star was released after 231 days behind bars.
How did this low point come about? In an attempt to find answers, the documentary reviews many stages of Becker’s career advancement – and above all gives his perspective a lot of space. What Becker has to say is not new, it has often been said in the past.
It’s the story of a tennis-mad kid who, at 17, becomes the youngest champion ever to lift the Wimbledon trophy. Becker becomes a folk hero, a teenage idol who helps tennis in Germany to flourish like never before.
The media pounce on him, Boris Becker becomes “Bum Bum Boris!”, the “Bobbele”. He finds out from the tabloids what is going on: “Adolf Hitler, German unity, Boris Becker,” he says in the film. A hype that Becker is exposed to and that he can’t deal with.
Especially not when there is no success. Again and again in the film he talks about a lack of independence and the struggle to achieve it. And about the pressure that weighed on him and that ultimately drove him into addiction to sleeping pills.
“Boom! Boom! – The World vs. Boris Becker” is an impressive portrait of the exceptional talent who, with iron willpower, always manages to get up after defeats. A quality that has benefited him even after his time as an active professional.
“My life as a tennis player prepared me for my time in prison,” said Becker. “The only thing that saves you in a final on the tennis court at Wimbledon is your attitude.” Life in prison is very similar. “You never know what’s around the corner tomorrow.”
Much of the film is told like a spaghetti western. Oscar winner Alex Gibney (“Taxi to Hell”) stages many of the tennis games shown as a shoot-out, opponents are presented as if with a profile, and the dramatic sounds of Ennio Morricone’s “L’arena” run to the duel. The sometimes tough film should captivate tennis fans in particular until the end.
In addition to Becker, companions also have their say, such as Becker’s former manager Ion Tiriac or the ex-professional players Björn Borg and John McEnroe. It’s touching how the aging tennis stars talk to each other with mutual respect, analyze each other – and it’s amused when they sometimes affectionately taunt each other.
One of the best parts of the film is when McEnroe talks about a match against Becker in 1989 and accuses him of coughing artificially during games for years to irritate his opponents. In the game, McEnroe then began to imitate Becker.
