Boris Becker Discusses His Love For Poker

German tennis legend Boris Becker retired from the game which made him famous in 1999 aged just 32, but has continued to be involved in and around the sporting industry ever since.
During that time, Becker has become the owner of sports equipment company Völkl Inc, appeared on countless sports tv programmes as well as published his autobiography ‘The Player.’
In November 2007, aged 40, the man with a highly competitive streak then became involved in another hugely competitive game, after becoming a member of Team PokerStars. Ever since, Becker has been sponsored to play in various major poker tournaments across the globe, and he couldn’t be happier. As he explains:
“This is a game that provides competition for old and young, fat and skinny, it’s the competition that drives it…The poker circuit reminds me of the days when I was 25 years old and travelling the world with a tennis racket – the players, hotels, but also the game itself. It has a great, competitive edge, when you need to be on top of your game all the time, and that reminds me a lot of tennis.”
Boris Becker would also appear to be rather good at the game and last year he announced he was a winner at poker, although he refused to talk figures.
On the tournament circuit front, Becker’s figures can readily be seen and reveal he has cashed in four times during various events and is currently up $75,722. His wins include a 7th place finish at the $795 EPT Grand Final in 2008 for $18,771, a 40th place finish at the $25,000 Five-Star World Poker Classic in 2009 for $40,855, and a 97th place finish at the $7,203 EPT Barcelona Main Event in 2011 for $14,407.
Unfortunately, we are unable to see his tally for cash games, or online MTT’s but its safe to say that in light of his winning player remark that he’s probably ahead in those, too.
Nevertheless, the self-described “passionate amateur” will be hoping one day to take down a big tournament and make his mark firmly on a game that continues to pique his competitive interests. He might also find his motivation would increase exponentially if a few more of his fellow tennis professionals found themselves in the same poker competitions. As Boris mused:
“I’m convinced Roger Federer would make a good poker player, because he has a god-given talent to play tennis and he’s very humble and casual. I’d love to have John McEnroe on the poker table, for the excitement and the noise. Agassi and Sampras are both good players, I know.”