Former tennis world number 1 Boris Becker, released on Thursday after eight months in UK prison for financial crimes, is heading to Germany, his lawyer announced. “He has served his sentence and is not subject to any criminal restrictions in Germany,” added his lawyer, Christian-Oliver Moser, in a press release.

“Our client Boris Becker was released in England and left the country today (Thursday) for Germany”, specifies the lawyer, who rejects in advance, “for reasons of privacy”, any questions about “his place of residence”. After eight months in prison in the United Kingdom for economic crimes, Boris Becker, 55, was released this Thursday morning with a view to being deported, the British news agency PA reported in the morning.

The latter had not specified the destination of “Boom Boom Becker”, but had opted for his country, Germany. Her mother, Elvira Becker, 87, called her long-awaited return to the country the “best Christmas present” possible, The Sun tabloid reported on Tuesday.

The six-time Grand Slam winner, who has lived in Britain since 2012, was found guilty in April of illegally concealing or transferring hundreds of thousands of euros and pounds to avoid paying off his debts following his bankruptcy filing. He had been sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a London court, but only served eight months.

According to PA, Boris Becker was released on Thursday morning from Huntercombe prison, some 60 miles west of London, because he was eligible for deportation as a foreigner serving a sentence of more than 12 months in prison. According to British media, he was to return to Germany on a private jet chartered by an audiovisual company, whose name has not been made public, which paid a generous sum for him to tell his story.