Boris Becker: Surviving Prison, My Truth & Rebuilding Life (E371)

The High Performance Podcast

High Performance

Sports, Self-improvement, Mindset, Growth Mindset, Health & Fitness, Non-negotiables, Education, Life Lessons, High Performance

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2025

⏱️ 134 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Boris Becker is one of tennis’s most iconic figures, a prodigy who won Wimbledon at just 17, a champion who reached the sport’s highest peaks, and a man who has faced extraordinary highs and devastating lows both on and off the court.

In this episode, Boris reflects on the mindset that drove him to success so early in life, the pressure of living in the global spotlight, and the personal challenges that tested his resilience. He speaks candidly about the sacrifices behind sporting greatness, the mental and emotional toll of fame, and what it takes to rebuild after public setbacks.

Boris also shares how he’s learned to balance ambition with perspective, why health and discipline remain central to his daily life, and what he now understands about passion, identity, and purpose beyond winning.

This is an intimate, thought-provoking conversation with a sporting legend who has lived at the very edge of triumph and adversity.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's one of the worst places probably in the world.
0:04.0	Whoever says prison is easy, is lying.
0:06.0	I was in my room for 22 hours for five weeks.
0:10.0	And I asked you, what are you doing in I Excel?
0:12.0	Then he started being aggressive.
0:14.0	I'm thinking he's about to hurt me.
0:16.0	I mean, people today get killed in prison.
0:18.0	People wrote so much rubbish of what I supposedly have done.
0:21.2	I feel like for too long other people have spoken on my behalf, that is no longer the case.
0:28.7	What happens when the world stops cheering? That's the question we explore today with legendary
0:35.5	tennis player Boris Becker. Wimbledon champion at just 17,
0:40.0	global icon for much of his life, and a man who spent 230 days in a British prison. This is his
0:49.2	first full interview on what really happened. And this is not just how he ended up behind bars, but it's also
0:55.5	how he survived it. How losing everything forced him to face who he really was. You can expect him
1:01.3	to take you inside his prison cell, the screaming, the shame, the silence, the fear. He speaks about
1:07.4	the inmate who became his protector. He speaks about a moment where he was attacked
1:12.1	and his life was threatened. And crucially, he shares with us the quotes on the wall, the work of
1:17.5	the stoics that kept him going and have changed the way he will think forever. And you know,
1:23.0	the painful rebuilding process begins with nothing but regret and reflection. Boris does not hold back
1:29.3	at the start of this interview. In fact, he challenges me very early on to tell him what I know
1:35.4	about his story and then he proceeds to tell us what he believes to be the truth. He gives us details
1:40.4	on exactly what he's lost, the precise figures, the numbers, what he's learned throughout that process and what starting again actually means.
	...

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