Boris Becker described his time in prison as “the loneliest moment I've ever had” but "I believe I rediscovered the human in me" after he was released last Thursday.

Six-time grand slam singles champion Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in jail in April after being found guilty of hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts when he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

The German reportedly spent the first few weeks of his sentence at Wandsworth Prison in London before being moved to the low-security Huntercombe prison in Oxfordshire in May.

The 55-year-old served just eight months of his sentence before being allowed out and has returned to his homeland, with reports he is not allowed back in the United Kingdom for a decade.

In an interview with Sat.1 that was broadcast on Tuesday, the tennis legend has opened up on the dark days he has experienced but says he has learned a "very expensive" lesson.

"In prison you are a nobody, you are only a number. Mine was A2923EV," he recalled when breaking his silence. "I wasn't called Boris, I was a number. And nobody gives a s*** who you are.

"When the cell door closes, the whole world collapses. This is the loneliest moment I've ever had. 

"There is only you with your thoughts. There's a carousel in your head, of course. You try to breathe calmly. I was afraid, I didn't cry.

"I believe I rediscovered the human in me, the person I once was. I've learned a hard lesson. A very expensive one. A very painful one. 

"But the whole thing has taught me something very important and worthwhile. And some things happen for a good reason."

Recalling the day of his release, Becker, who lived in London before he was sent to prison, said: "From six o'clock that morning I sat on the edge of my bed, and hoped that the cell door would open. 

"They came to get me at 7.30am, unlocked the door and asked: 'Are you ready?' I said: 'Let’s go!' I had already packed everything beforehand."

Nick Kyrgios could "just retire" if he wins a grand slam in the upcoming 2023 season.

The Australian had one of his best years yet in 2022, winning three doubles titles and also collecting the Washington Open singles final in August.

However, Kyrgios fell short again at the season's grand slams despite reaching the Wimbledon final, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in four sets.

With the Australian Open, Kyrgios' home tournament and first grand slam of the year, less than a month away, the 27-year-old could call it quits should he win a maiden grand slam.

Speaking between matches at an exhibition event, Kyrgios told reporters: "Hopefully I can win a Slam and just retire.

"Would I sign again? Honestly, I don't know about it.

"It took a lot of hard work this [2022] season, a lot of discipline and it seems the better you do, everyone wants a bit more of you and it becomes more stressful.

"But I had a lot of fun this season. And I’m finally just proud to say I made a Slam final and started to meet some expectations. I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed it, definitely felt better off and on the court."

It is not the first time Kyrgios has suggested an early retirement, having stated in October he will "probably not" play past the age of 30.

Roger Federer is the greatest of all time and tennis' equivalent of NBA legend Michael Jordan, according to Frances Tiafoe.

Federer retired in September of this year after one of the most successful careers in tennis history, having won his first grand slam at Wimbledon in 2003.

Playing in one of male tennis' most competitive eras ever alongside Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Federer went on to win 20 grand slam titles before calling it quits at the age of 41.

Tiafoe, ranked 19th in the world, is a big NBA fan and found a basketball parallel for Federer in the form of Jordan, who won six NBA championships in the 1990s as well as five MVP awards.

Asked which NBA player he would compare Federer with, Tiafoe told The Old man and the Three Podcast: "I would say MJ.

"You think of MJ and you think that brother was crazy and you think of Federer...everything they did, you're just in awe every time you watched them."

Questioned on whether the Jordan comparison meant he viewed Federer as the greatest tennis player ever, Tiafoe replied: "Oh absolutely. Even though Rafa [Nadal] has more grand slams."

Federer once held the record for most grand slams among male players, but he has now been surpassed by both Djokovic and Nadal, the latter of whom leads the way with 22 titles.

Tiafoe overcame Nadal in the fourth round of the US Open this year and compared the Spaniard's mentality to that of the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"I would give Giannis, just from how he approaches the game and the effort he brings every night," added Tiafoe.

"Just because Giannis is coming to kill you every night. He's going to kill you and Rafa has that attitude too.

"Super nice guy, but as soon we get out there you can just feel that aura and it's the same with Giannis."

Djokovic's chase of Nadal at the top of the grand slam leaderboard was hindered in 2022 by his vaccination status, which prevented him playing at the Australian Open or the US Open, the former of which was won by the Mallorcan.

Djokovic did however collect a seventh Wimbledon crown, and will be able to resume hunting down Nadal at the upcoming Australian Open in January having been granted a visa.

Tiafoe compared the 35-year-old to Denver Nuggets star and fellow Serbian Nikola Jokic, who is the reigning NBA MVP having won the prestigious award two seasons running.

"You're watching him [Jokic] play and you just like how but also you're just in awe of his greatness," Tiafoe added. "Like what can't this guy do on a basketball court?

"This guy [is] a freak. It doesn't look your most traditional way or how you want it to look or whatever.

"Same with Novak. It's not like the prettiest game ever but these guys just get it done."

Rafael Nadal has made a swift appointment after long-time ally Francis Roig left his coaching team.

The record 22-time men's grand slam singles champion has brought in Argentinian Gustavo Marcaccio to work with lead coach Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez.

Nadal announced on Friday that Roig was departing, having worked with the Spaniard since 2005, to take on "a new project".

With the new ATP season just days away from beginning, Marcaccio has accepted the chance to step in, with the 45-year-old having held a position at Nadal's academy in Mallorca for the past 20 months.

Marcaccio had a mostly undistinguished playing career, reaching a high of 284th on the rankings, but he has strong coaching credentials, having worked with the likes of Juan Monaco, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Guido Pella.

Nadal wrote on Twitter: "Hello everyone. I want to inform you of the incorporation of Gustavo Marcaccio to the technical team.

"Gustavo has been working at the @rafanadalacademy since April 2021 and I understand that he is a good addition to the team. I am sure he will help us a lot to follow the path. Welcome!"

Nadal will return to Melbourne as the defending champion at the Australian Open in January, having won that and the French Open in 2022 to move ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the men's all-time grand slam list.

Tennis icon Venus Williams will compete in her 22nd Australian Open in January after it was announced on Sunday she had been awarded a wildcard entry.

Williams, 42, is a seven-time grand slam singles champion, but she only played four competitive matches in 2022, losing all four.

A five-time Wimbledon winner with two US Open titles on the singles side, Williams is also one of the sport's most decorated doubles players, collecting another 14 grand slam doubles titles, including four in Australia.

She won the Australian Open doubles in 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2010, while making the singles final in both 2003 and 2017.

In the press release announcing her wildcard, Williams confirmed her plans to compete once again in Melbourne.

"I am very excited to be returning to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open in January," she said.

"I've been competing in the country for over 20 years now and the Australian community has always supported me wholeheartedly.

"It will be an honour to play for the fans again and I'm looking forward to making more memories at the tournament this year."

It remains to be seen if she will be joined by her sister, Serena, who is a seven-time singles champion at the event and Venus' partner for her four doubles successes.

After her exit from the US Open, Serena heavily implied she was weighing up another go down under, saying "I always did love Australia".

Cameron Norrie is hoping Russian players will be allowed to return to Wimbledon in 2023, saying he wants "the best players in the world to be playing".

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Russian players were banned from participating at SW19.

This meant the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were not able to play and compete for the third grand slam of the year, which Novak Djokovic ended up winning for the seventh time.

The tournament was stripped of ranking points as a result of the ban on Russians, a decision that was met with much frustration from players.

Medvedev and Rublev finished a respective seventh and eighth in the year-end ATP rankings, and both took part in the ATP Finals in Turin.

Norrie hopes they are able to return to Wimbledon next year, telling reporters: "For me, I want the best players in the world to be playing.

"I felt last year was tough for those guys, especially for Daniil and for Andrey, who have a chance of winning Wimbledon.

"I know how much those guys sacrificed with their careers and their goals are obviously very high to be winning Slams.

"So I really did feel bad for those guys."

Novak Djokovic has thanked Sinisa Mihajlovic for his impact on Serbian sport following the 53-year-old's death.

Mihajlovic passed away this week following a battle with leukaemia.

He was diagnosed with the illness in 2019, but kept on coaching in Serie A until as recently as September, when he was dismissed by Bologna.

Mihajlovic also coached Milan and the Serbia national team across a long career, while he also played for Roma, Sampdoria, Inter and Lazio among other clubs.

Tributes poured in from across the world of football on Friday and on Saturday, with tennis great Djokovic hailing his late compatriot.

"Rest in peace, dear Sinisa," Djokovic wrote on Instagram.

"Condolences to the Mihajlovic family. Thank you for everything you did for our sport, as well as in Italy. Your mark is indelible."

Casper Ruud has been voted by his fellow ATP players as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a fine season and sits third in the end-of-year rankings after winning three titles.

He also reached the final of the French Open, US Open and the ATP Finals, losing to Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic respectively.

However, one title he does have is the Stefan Edberg Award, which according to the ATP's official website recognises "fair play, professionalism and integrity on and off the court".

Nadal and the now retired Roger Federer had won the award every year since 2004, with the Spaniard taking it five times – and the last four years running – and the Swiss on 13 occasions.

"A big thanks to everyone who voted for me for this year's ATP Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award," said Ruud.

"I feel very, very honoured and happy to win this prize this year. I will try to keep my mood in the right place for next year. Can't wait to be back on court."

Emma Raducanu is working with a new coach as she heads towards the 2023 season, reports said on Friday.

The 2021 US Open winner, who turned 20 in November, has had a growing list of coaches and is seeking the right formula to make an alliance successful.

She has turned for now to German Sebastian Sachs, a 30-year-old who previously worked with Victoria Azarenka, as a member of the Belarusian's team, before becoming the main coach of Julia Goerges and latterly Belinda Bencic.

Olympic champion Bencic recently appointed Dmitry Tursunov, who had been working with Raducanu, and Sachs has headed in the opposite direction by joining up with the British youngster.

As well as Russian former ATP top-20 player Tursunov, Raducanu has had coaching spells under the tutelage of Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz and the Lawn Tennis Association's Iain Bates in the past two years.

Raducanu and her team have yet to formally announce Sachs' role, but reports have indicated he has been with her this week in Abu Dhabi. Her management have yet to confirm whether this is a trial or a full-time appointment.

The one-time grand slam winner had a match on Friday against Ons Jabeur at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition event, losing 5-7 6-3 10-8 to the 2022 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up.

After parting company with Raducanu, Tursunov said getting the best out of the Briton would be "minimum a one-year project but... probably a two-and-a-half-year project to be on the safe side", and reasoned that her game remained "very raw".

"It's going to take some time, but as I said to her and to pretty much everyone on her team: I think you just need to have one voice and just try that for a bit," Tursunov said.

Raducanu has not reached a final since her dazzling Flushing Meadows victory, and she finished the 2022 season at 76th in the WTA rankings.

Boris Becker is set to tell his story to German television on Tuesday after the tennis legend was released from prison.

The 55-year-old was sentenced to two and a half years in jail at the end of April for breaking insolvency laws.

It was news that 21-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic, who was previously coached by Becker, said left him "heartbroken" for his close friend.

Becker, who won six singles grand slams, served just eight months of his jail sentence. It was confirmed on Thursday by his lawyer, Christian-Oliver Moser, he has returned to his native Germany, where he is not subject to any restrictions.

Now Becker is poised to speak about his experiences, shining a light on a shocking fall from grace.

The former world number one was found guilty of hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts when he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

He will appear on the Sat.1 channel in a prime-time slot, with editor-in-chief Juliane Essling telling dwdl.de: "Boris Becker is perhaps the greatest hero of German sport. We all know the unbelievable highs and downfalls in his life. Boris Becker is familiar to us.

"Sat.1 will not talk about him – but with him. I am pleased that Boris Becker has given us his trust for the first and only interview worldwide after what may have been the most difficult time in his life."

Becker lived in London before being sent to prison but could be prevented from returning to live in the UK.

He does not have UK citizenship and the Home Office has confirmed any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity.

He covered tennis in a broadcasting career before he was sentenced, being a regular presence on the BBC during Wimbledon, the tournament he won three times, including s spectacular triumph as the age of 17 in 1985.

Rafael Nadal on Friday revealed long-time coach Francis Roig is no longer on his team.

Former player Roig has been working with the legendary Spaniard since 2005, helping him win a record 22 grand slam titles.

Roig's long spell on the Nadal team has now come to an end, with the world number two announcing that his compatriot has taken on a "new project."

He wrote on social media: "I wanted to inform you that Francis Roig is leaving the team. Francis has been an important person in my career and I am very grateful to him for all these years of work and friendship.

"When we started working together I was a child and together with my uncle Toni, we started on the circuit.

"Francis is a great coach who knows tennis very well and has helped me a lot to get better and better. I only have words of gratitude and I wish him all the luck in the world in his new project."

Toni Nadal left his nephew's coaching team at the end of the 2017 season and is now working with Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Carlos Moya was appointed as Nadal's coach following Toni Nadal's departure.

Serena Williams may return to the court "one more time," former world number two Tommy Haas believes.

The 23-time grand slam singles champion Williams declared her intention to "evolve" away from tennis prior to the US Open in September, with many thinking her third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic signalled the end of her illustrious career.

Although, the 41-year-old hinted she may return in a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, suggesting she may follow the example of another American sporting great.

"Tom Brady started an amazing trend," she said when asked if her competitive career may resume. "That's what I want to say."

Speaking to Eurosport Germany's tennis podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball, Haas said: "Serena had an incredible, long and strong career. 

"But I have the feeling that she is going to come back and say, 'I'm going to play one more time.' 

"She came so close to playing really well again and going far, so I think deep down it really annoys her.

"She might really be thinking about whether she wants to try again. I may be wrong because I'm not that close [to her].

"It will mostly depend on how it looks mentally, how she feels physically and whether she has the desire to torture herself like that again after achieving so much."

Andy Murray has been named the winner of the ATP's Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for the second time after he donated his prize money for 2022 to Ukraine.

The Briton announced in March that his winnings earned throughout the rest of the year would be donated to UNICEF, for whom he is an ambassador.

Ukraine was invaded by neighbour Russia in February, escalating an ongoing conflict that saw players from the latter nation barred at Wimbledon this year amid sanctions.

After previously being presented with the honour in 2014, Murray revealed earnings of approximately £510,000 would be donated from his season.

"There are 7.5 million children in Ukraine and after more than nine months of increased conflict, 5.2 million of them are in need of assistance," he said. 

"When you see images of children on the news who were impacted by things like this, that makes it even more difficult to stomach.

"I have four young children who are really fortunate that everything is fine with them. But being a parent, it affects you differently.

"You try to put yourself in their shoes. If something like that happened with your own family, how difficult would that be? It is hard to fathom."

Carlos Alcaraz was meanwhile named the Most Improved Player of the Year, after the Spaniard claimed a maiden grand slam at the US Open and reached number one in the ATP Rankings.

"Everything has come so fast," the teenager added. "I didn't think at the beginning of the year that I'm going to have the year that I'm having right now.

"I always believe in my team and in my work, so this is something that came with the hard work that I put in every day. Everything pays off."

Boris Becker could be deported from the United Kingdom after the tennis legend was released from prison on Thursday.

The 55-year-old was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years in jail at the end of April for breaking insolvency laws.

Six-time grand slam champion Becker served just eight months of his sentence and it was confirmed by his lawyer, Christian-Oliver Moser, that he has returned to his native Germany - where he is subject to any restrictions.

The former world number one was found guilty of hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts when he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

Becker reportedly started his sentence in London's Wandsworth Prison, before being moved to Huntercombe Prison in May.

He lived in London before being sent to prison but could be prevented from returning to live in the UK.

Becker does not have UK citizenship and the Home Office have confirmed any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity.

He covered tennis in a broadcasting career before he was sentenced.

Carla Suarez Navarro has announced she is pregnant, with the Spanish former tennis star who overcame cancer expressing her "tremendous joy" and "great pride."

Now 34, Suarez Navarro was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in September 2020, just months after announcing her intention to retire.

She delayed that retirement and, after being given the all-clear in April 2021, began a farewell tour at that year's French Open that included appearances at Wimbledon, the US Open, the Olympic Games and the Billie Jean King Cup.

Having left competitive tennis behind at the end of the 2021 season, Suarez said she and her partner Olga Garcia were thrilled to announce the pregnancy, with their baby due in June.

Garcia, 30, is a footballer who has played for the Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Spain women's teams.

They said in a shared statement on Instagram: "A new stage that we really wanted to experience. Let's grow the family! Excited and happy to face this big moment. Very soon we will be one more."

Both were showered with messages of congratulations and love, from the likes of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and tennis names including Caroline Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza, Paula Badosa and Sara Errani.

Suarez Navarro explained, in a statement reported by Spanish media: "We wanted to announce that I am three months pregnant. It's already 12 weeks of tremendous joy to bring a new life into the world.

"Both Olga Garcia, my partner, and I feel an enormous responsibility, a great pride for having taken this step, and we were excited to share it with all of you.

"This Tuesday, we went to perform the first trimester ultrasound, to verify that the pregnancy is progressing on the right track. Fortunately, the medical team has confirmed that the gestation process is developing completely normally.

"It is fantastic news for us and fills us with hope for the near future."

The former WTA player, who reached a career-high world ranking of sixth, added: "After my retirement from sports, with both of us still young, we thought it was the ideal time to face a process that fills us with joy and enthusiasm.

"We are very excited with what we are going through and with all the experiences that we hope to live soon."