Jurgen Klopp was stopped twice from visiting a Wimbledon legend while in prison, and the reason was surprisingly tough.
Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp once tried to visit tennis legend Boris Becker when he was in prison, but his request was turned down for a tough reason.
Klopp is well-known for his great work with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, where he won many trophies like the Premier League and Champions League during nine years at Anfield. People love Klopp not just for his success, but also for his warm personality and how much he cares about those close to him.
This caring side showed during Becker’s time in prison. Becker, a Wimbledon champion and six-time Grand Slam winner, faced tough times after retiring. He had money problems and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in 2022 for hiding £2.5 million in assets to avoid paying debts. He served eight months, first at HMP Wandsworth near Wimbledon, then at HMP Huntercombe.
In his 2025 book, Becker shared that very few friends reached out to him while he was inside, but Klopp was one of the few. Klopp tried twice to visit Becker, but the prison authorities said no because Klopp was too famous and might bring unwanted attention. Instead, they stayed in touch through phone calls and have kept their friendship strong.
After his release, Becker told Sat.1 TV, “We’re good friends, and I gave Klopp’s name to the guards, but they said he couldn’t come for safety reasons. I was allowed two visits a month, and all visitors had to be checked, which took time.” He also mentioned how his girlfriend was shocked by how he looked when she first visited.
Before all this, Becker was also a BBC tennis commentator for Wimbledon. Klopp later confirmed in a 2022 interview that he did try to visit Becker in prison. He said, “I told Boris he should write a book about his experience because no one might believe what it’s really like. I wanted to support him and show he wasn’t alone. Sadly, I couldn’t visit because the authorities thought it was a security risk, but what matters now is that Boris is free.”
Klopp also explained how they met: “Boris was my childhood hero. We met seven years ago at Wimbledon, thanks to my wife Ulla who knew I wanted to meet him. I followed his career closely and was a huge fan. We spent a great evening together and instantly got along. Although we’re both busy, we’ve stayed in touch over the years.”