Tennis great Boris Becker says he’s grateful just to be alive as he reflected on spending time in prison in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Becker was released from Huntercombe prison in December after serving just eight months of his two-and-a-half-year sentence for charges relating to his 2017 bankruptcy case.
Soon after his release, Becker told German broadcaster Sat 1 that a prison “inmate tried to kill” him during his incarceration.
“It feels great [to be out],” Becker told Amanpour. “You only appreciate freedom once you’ve been incarcerated, let me tell you. It’s a different lifestyle, it’s a different world. I’ve been out now for over three months and I’m happy to be here alive and speaking to you.
“Prison life is a very dangerous place. I watched a couple of movies beforehand just to prepare myself a little bit, but I didn’t expect it like that. It’s very scary. It’s a real punishment. I mean, prison’s supposed to be that, but it’s a real punishment taking away your freedom, your livelihood.
“The only currency you have is your character and your personality – literally – and you better make friends with the strong boys because you need protection, you need a group of people that look out for you.”
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