In the two files “Triumph” and “Disaster”, the new documentary “Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker”, which can be seen on Apple TV from April 7, tells the turbulent life story of tennis star Boris Becker (55 ). While part one deals largely with well-known milestones in his career, the second half focuses on his private life and the things that led to his conviction in 2022. In addition to other tennis greats, ex-wife Barbara Becker (56) and his current girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro have their say – and make their own judgments about the three-time Wimbledon winner.
Especially ex-wife Barbara has a lot to say. At the turn of the millennium, she experienced at first hand how Becker’s financial management first caused an uproar. Because while she was on vacation with her husband at the time, the tax investigators stormed their home in Germany and secured documents. “Everything felt uncertain after that,” she recalls.
The documentary also makes it clear that the two remember certain things very differently. Boris apparently in a way that sometimes puts him in a good light. Or to put it another way: according to his perception, is he always solely responsible for achievements, but not for missteps?
As soon as the infidelity with Angela Ermakova (55) is discussed in the documentary, this appears all too clear. Constant comments from those around him not to do anything stupid would have really encouraged him to do so.
Boris Beckers’ most controversial thesis: It was not his affair with Ermakova, from which daughter Anna (23) emerged, that primarily led to the divorce from Barbara. But their habit of bringing up the incident over and over again. “With every discussion, she pulled this joker and told me to shut up: ‘Because if the world knew what you did, you would lose anyway.'” He replied: “You’re right, but that’s not her Kind of relationship I can have. That’s impossible. I said, ‘Barbara, I think we need a break.’
Barbara is diplomatic in the documentary. All her joy, her family, her life, she also “because of the pain I had to go through”. She looks with “gratitude and love” in the direction of Boris, who gave her the two sons Noah (29) and Elias (23).
Striking: Becker’s marriage to and also the divorce from Lilly Becker (46, née Kerssenberg) is briefly addressed in the AppleTV production, but she herself does not have a say in it. Unlike his current girlfriend, Lilian, who ties Becker’s troubles in the present to his glorious past.
In doing so, she provides what is perhaps the greatest insight of the entire documentary: “To be a champion, you have to believe that you are invincible. […] And that probably brings you to a point where you think you are also in the untouchable in real life. But that’s not true. You have to be vulnerable sometimes, you have to acknowledge your limitations and mistakes.”
