Former tennis champion Boris Becker freed from prison, faces deportation

Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Former tennis champion Boris Becker was released from prison Thursday after serving 8 months of a two-and-a-half year sentence for financial fraud in a bankruptcy filing.

Becker is expected to be deported from Britain.

"Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity," A British Home Office spokesperson told BBC Sport, Becker would qualify for deportation under that definition.

Becker was convicted under Britain's Insolvency Act of hiding more than $3 million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts in bankruptcy. He was previously convicted of tax evasion in Germany in 2002 and got a suspended two-year sentence.

Becker is a three-time Wimbledon champion and former men's world no. 1 in tennis.

He had been an inmate at Britain's Huntercombe prison, a lower-security prison for foreign criminals awaiting deportation.

Becker has lived in Britain since 2012 and retired from a 15-year playing career in 1999.

When Becker was sentenced in April Judge Deborah Taylor siad that he had "an undue reliance" on his advisors and that it was notable "that he had not shown remorse or humility."