£4m Deal to Settle Becker's Tax Bill

The former tennis champion Boris Becker, 34, has avoided the prospect of spending time behind bars by reaching agreement with the German judiciary on millions of pounds of tax he allegedly evaded paying when he was at the height of his career.

But he will pay a hefty price for the deal worked out in intense discussions between his lawyers and a state prosecutor: €6.5m (£4.08m), including interest, according to today's edition of the magazine Spiegel, plus two years probation.

In return he will avoid having to undergo a lengthy and humiliating court case, followed by a possible jail term of up to two years. Now the court is expected to take only one day to complete the hearing.

The tax authorities in Munich, his home town, said they stood by their claim that he had declared Monte Carlo as his main place of residence when he was actually spending the bulk of his time in Munich.

That made him liable to German taxation. The full amount of the tax he owes has not been revealed.

Becker, a three-times Wimbledon champion who was nicknamed "boom-boom" for his powerful serve, may have avoided the prospect of what was expected to be a spectacular court case, but he still has to find the money if he is to avoid going bust.

It had been reported that he is planning to borrow several million euros, and his villa in Munich is now on the market.

"As long as the money has not been paid, we will not consider this case closed," said a source at the tax authorities.

The tax evasion allegation is just one of the string of disasters that have befallen Becker since he retired from professional tennis three years ago, including a divorce, a paternity claim, and a failed business venture, for which he is also facing trial.