By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 1, 2022

Novak Djokovic celebrated the best of times with Boris Becker and is "super sad" to see his friend and former coach suffer through his worst times.

The world No. 1 said he was heartbroken by Becker's prison sentence and is hoping for the best outcome for the Hall of Famer.

More: Becker Jailed

The 54-year-old Becker was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail last Friday for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds in assets after his 2017 bankruptcy.

"Just heartbroken, I mean, for him," Djokovic told the media in Madrid today. "He's a friend, long-time friend, a coach for three, four years, someone I consider close in my life and has contributed a lot to my success in my career.

"I was just heartbroken. I mean, don't know what to say more than that. I'm not going to get into details of the verdict, because I'm not in a position to do that, but as his friend, you know, I'm super sad for him. It's not much that you can say."

Six-time Grand Slam champion Becker coached Djokovic to six Grand Slam titles in a partnership that began in December, 2013 and lasted three years. Earlier this year, Djokovic parted company with long-time coach Marian Vajda, but remains very friendly with both of his former coaches.

Today, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said his greatest concern is Becker's mental health in prison.

Judge Deborah Taylor ruled Becker will serve half his sentence behind bars and the remainder "on license," which typically means home detention. Still, it's the dramatic and potentially traumatic adjustment his friend faces in jail that concerns Djokovic. 

"I mean, I just hope he will go through this period that he has to be in jail and that when he comes out he's, you know, being able to live his life as, I don't know if we'll use the word "normal," because the life is definitely changing, I mean, for anybody going to prison, especially for that long of a time," Djokovic said. "So I don't know how things will turn out for him. I just pray for him.

"I hope things will be well in terms of his health, his mental health, because that's going to be the most challenging part."