Game, Set and Perfect Match for Boris Becker

(Photo: Partypoker.com)

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, German tennis legend Boris Becker was one of the most feared players on the court – taking down 49 singles titles which included multiple Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open championships. This week he made his latest move on a different type of green surface, signing with Partypoker.com as their latest ambassador and looking forward to playing both live and online.

The poker site announced his new role in a clever way, the image of Becker split into poker pro and tennis pro, the advert stating:

"Calling all tennis fans – the one and only Boris Becker has joined PartyPoker as an official ambassador! The youngest ever Wimbledon champion is wasting no time getting stuck into the action and has already laid down a $25,000 heads-up challenge to the player who conquers our Beat the Ace Missions!"

Becker is no slouch at the table, having won over $111,000 in live tournament play, which included a fine 13th spot in last month’s Devilfish Cup at the Dusk ‘Til Dawn casino in Nottingham – held in honor of a fellow legend, English poker’s best-known and feared player Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott.

“I am equally competitive at the poker table as I was on the tennis court, so I’m really excited to be partnering with PartyPoker and taking on players around the world," said Becker of his new role, having previously represented PokerStars in a similar role.

He added:

"I learnt to play poker a long time ago, it’s a game of skill and perseverance, so I’m hoping to use my experience on the tennis court to my advantage. PartyPoker has some world class tournaments coming up and I look forward to playing online as well as live at the PartyPoker MILLIONS in April, so see you there!”

"It’s great to have Boris on board as he is one of Germany’s, and indeed the world’s, most notable sportsmen", stated Tom Waters, Group Head at partypoker, adding that, "Boris’ mental strength and desire to win will make him a tough competitor at the poker table, and I’m sure he’ll test our players as part of the PartyPoker Tennis Missions promotion!"

The promotion, cleverly-titled Beat the Ace, will see PartyPoker players given the opportunity to participate in four $5,000 freerolls from which the overall winner will get to play Becker heads-up live in Germany for a prize of up to $25,000.

The site claims:

"The heads-up challenge will consist of three games against Boris Becker in what could prove to be his biggest rivalry since Stefan Edberg."

The freeroll leaderboard winner will have to ‘Win one match to pocket $5,000, two matches for $10,000, or make it three straight sets to walk away with a massive $25,000 cash,’ they state, adding:

"With five elite indoor titles to his name, Boris is known as an expert on indoor carpet - but can you beat him on the felt?"

Becker’s new bosses have also announced an additional £1m in prizemoney for the April 2017 PartyPoker Millions, making it the largest-ever guaranteed event in European poker history, £1million of the £6million set aside for the winner. The PartyPoker Millions will be hosted online on PartyPoker and live across the UK/internationally this winter and culminate with a live final at Dusk Till Dawn on April 18, 2017.

The now 49-year old won over $20million in his tennis career, smashing onto the scene as the youngest-ever Wimbledon singles winner at just 17 before carving out a sensational career. After overcoming personal and highly public difficulties upon his retirement, he returned in 2013 as the coach of Novak Djokovic, leading the Serb to 13 titles until the present day, a coaching role he still holds.