German tennis legend Boris Becker He denounced that very often his children are exposed to racist harassment. Becker explained that the subject touches it in a very personal way: “My four children are all 'mixed race'”.
“My three oldest children live at least once a week a racist incident, therefore I have a permanent exchange with them on this topic “, the former German tennis star commented to the newspaper “Bild am Sonntag”. Becker, 52, said his youngest son, Amadeus, 10, “luckily he's still quite young and doesn't travel alone as much as his older siblings.”
The former tennis player was married to Barbara Feltus, daughter of an African American soldier and a German woman, and they both had Elias and Noah, currently 20 and 26 years old. In addition, he had another daughter, Ana, who is now 20 years old. Two years ago, Noah was the target of defamation of a politician from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The three-time Wimbledon champion received widespread criticism last week, due to his participation in an anti-racism rally in London, and was shocked about it. “I am shocked, horrified, terrified by the many insults from Germany for my support for yesterday's #BlackLivesMatters demonstration in London!” Becker then wrote on his Twitter account.
And now he commented to the newspaper: “From Germany I was insulted in the worst way. Through the social networks nothing but hate and malice came to me “. Becker added that all three of his children's mothers have a different skin color than him. “So anyone who has reservations about the black population is attacking me personally.”he warned. At the same time, he was shocked that he had been attacked from the ranks of his own followers. “Very honestly: I can give up on those fans.”
Becker commented in his statements to the “Bild am Sonntag” that he considers it his task to provide strength to his children so that they can show their positions, also in front of those who attack them. “Educate yourself, find out. The more you know, the better you will be.” The former tennis player assured that with an incorrigible racist you cannot speak, because he will not listen. “But when the racist sees that you overcome him professionally and humanly by three lengths, that is a much harsher punishment. That is the message for my children,” he said.
And he said he raises his tone himself when he hears racist expressions. “I demand that it be intervened,” he said, while noting that it is really time for the racism of daily life to end. “We no longer live on trees. We have long since evolved from apes to humans and we should treat our fellow men with the same respect,” he stressed.