Prosecutors: Boris Becker Tried to Conceal Tennis Trophies

Former tennis champion Boris Becker went on trial Monday in London for allegedly concealing property—including nine trophies—from bankruptcy trustees and dodging his obligation to disclose financial information to settle his debts. Prosecutors said Becker, 54, "acted dishonestly" when he hid or failed to hand over assets before and after he was declared bankrupt in June 2017, per the AP. He's on trial charged with 24 counts under insolvency laws.

Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley said the assets include trophies such as the 1985 and 1989 Wimbledon men's singles title, his Australian Open trophies from 1991 and 1996, and his 1992 Olympic gold medal. Becker is accused of concealing $1.25 million from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany. He also allegedly failed to declare two German properties and hid a $900,000 bank loan.

"It is the [prosecution's] case ... that in various ways he effectively hid from, or made unavailable to, those responsible for identifying the assets," Chalkley said. Becker sat in the defendant's dock Monday next to a German translator. The former world No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion collected 49 singles titles out of 77 finals during his 16 years as a professional tennis player. The trial is expected to last for several weeks. Becker, who's out on bail, denies all charges.

(More Boris Becker stories.)