After more than seven months in British custody, former tennis star Boris Becker is free again. The German has been released from prison and will be deported from Britain, the British news agency PA reported on Thursday. It was expected that Becker would be flown to Germany immediately after his release.

The remainder of his two-and-a-half-year sentence is forfeited. However, the 55-year-old may not return to his adopted country Great Britain until his actual sentence has expired. Becker, who comes from Leimen in Baden-Württemberg, has lived in London for years, but does not have British citizenship.

Under British law, prisoners cannot actually be paroled until they have served at least half of their sentence. For Becker, that would be 15 months, i.e. the deadline is July 29, 2023. However, the former exceptional athlete benefited from a special dismissal and deportation program. Any foreign prisoner "who can be released from prison and deported up to twelve months before the earliest release date" is eligible.

The three-time Wimbledon winner was convicted in London on April 29 for concealing assets worth millions from his insolvency administrators. Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017. He then had to disclose his assets to the insolvency administrators - but in the opinion of the court he left out important parts. He was most recently in Huntercombe Prison west of the British capital.