Boris Becker said he has opened a fashion boutique so fans who ‘can’t play tennis’ like him can at least copy his ‘dress’.
The modest star posted a video on Instagram showing him visiting his new clothes shop in Istanbul, Turkey, on the anniversary of his first Wimbledon victory in 1985 aged 17.
The tennis ace, who was last year jailed for two-and-a-half years for hiding £2.5million in assets to dodge debts, told followers ‘unfortunately’ he cannot be at this year’s championship.
The six-time Grand Slam champion is banned from returning to Britain for 10 years after being deported following his release from prison.
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Instead Boris, 55, jetted 2,000 miles to Turkey to show off his store. Wearing a white suit and blue t-shirt bearing his Boris Becker range’s logo the shamed star said: “Well today is the 7th of July and 38 years ago I won my first Wimbledon.
“Unfortunately I cannot be at Wimbledon but I am in Istanbul to visit my new shop. Please come with me.”
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Boris – now bald and sporting a white beard – then walked inside and shows off a range of largely white outfits, adding: “What do you think?”
He then posed for a series of photos modelling his own gear including a brown jacket, a waistcoat and t-shirts which cost up to £40. In another shop tour video an eager assistant told the star they also had a supply of ‘Boris Becker cups’.
The tennis ace captioned the the clips: “Maybe you can’t play tennis like Boris Becker but you can can dress like Boris Becker.”He added tennis ball and smiling emojis. Fellow former tennis star Alex Corretja, 49, replied: “All the best amigo.”
Some fans praised Becker’s new business. “Am happy for him,” wrote one. “Everyone deserves a chance to participate in life again.”
But another sniffed: “Forget the clothes…what’s happened to the hair.” Another called him ‘Daniel Craig’s German half brother’.
Despite his Brit ban, Becker has played a big part in Wimbledon. He has been commentating on the action in a series of videos which seem to have been shot in a bar.
The youngest-ever men’s Wimbledon champ was dropped from the BBC’s commentary team following his conviction but that has not stopped him getting in his punditry points on the tournament on Instagram.
The twice-divorced dad-of-four went on to win two more Wimbledon titles and earned an estimated £38 million before going bust.
After retiring he started working for the BBC in 2002. Some fans have called for him to return remotely to brighten up the Beeb’s coverage.