DISGRACED tennis ace Boris Becker has made a sensational return to the sport with a coaching role - but won't be able to watch his new rising star at Wimbledon.
Becker will be banned from SW19 next year under the terms of his release from jail.
Becker, 55, served eight months of a two-and-a-half year sentence in a UK jail for hiding assets after declaring himself bankrupt.
The German secured an early release from prison in December 2022 and was immediately deported to his homeland.
But Becker is now set for a return to tennis after landing a job coaching Danish star Holger Rune.
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The current world No6 is tipped to be one of tennis’ top stars after reaching a world high of No4.
And Becker, who previously coached Novak Djokovic to six Grand Slams in three years, confirmed his new role on a German Eurosport podcast.
He said: “It makes me a little proud that he (Rune) asked me.
“The contact has existed for a long time. Now it was a very good fit.
“My calendar allows it and I have always been interested in Holger because he is on the tennis court with so much commitment and temperament.”
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Despite gaining a new coaching role, Becker will not be allowed to go to Wimbledon next year.
The German is unable to return to the UK until October 2024 under the terms of his licence.
And it means Rune, who reached the quarter-finals of this year’s tournament, will have to go it alone at SW19.
Becker added: “Holger is a rough diamond that needs polishing. I like his emotional outbursts.
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“I have coached a player before, Novak Djokovic, who was sometimes not quite himself on the court, but that is allowed.
“I love tennis and when one of the best 20-year-olds in the world asks me if I’d like to coach him...anyone who says no doesn’t have much to do with the sport.
“It would be b******* to claim now that Holger will become No.1 or win the French Open.
“The fact is that he is one of the best young players in the world.
“He plays in a concert with Alcaraz and (Jannik) Sinner or soon (Ben) Shelton and (Sebastian) Korda. Now the question is: what kind of team does he have?
“He has me, he has his performance coach. That’s enormously important, because nowadays people train very differently than they used to.
“But the most important person in the team is mother Aneke. Without her, nothing works.
“I’m on the phone with her four times a day at the moment to find out exactly how Holger is doing.
“It’s all a puzzle that we have to put together so that the boy plays his best tennis.
“My ambition is to find the best Holger Rune. To do that, the tournament schedule has to fit. If he plays every week, he will eventually get tired.”
