Boris Becker given role by German Tennis Federation following bankruptcy

Six-time grand slam champion Boris Becker has been appointed head of men’s tennis in Germany, two months after he was declared bankrupt by a UK court.

Becker, 49, will remain in London and work on an honorary basis until the end of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, also assisting with Germany’s Davis Cup team.

The role will be unpaid, with travel expenses covered by the Deutscher Tennisbund (DTB).

Becker’s most recent coaching spell was with Novak Djokovic between 2013 and 2016, during which the Serb won six of his 12 grand slam titles.

“Tennis is a matter of the heart for me; it is what I can do best,” Becker told reporters in Frankfurt Wednesday.

“I don’t need to talk about my achievements as a player and I am proud of my success as a coach.

“I love this game and I love this country.”

Difficult relationship

Becker, winner of 49 singles titles, guided West Germany to successive Davis Cup victories as a player in 1988 and 1989.

He also acted as Germany’s Davis Cup coach between 1997 to 1999, but endured a difficult relationship with the federation (DTB).

No German man has won a grand slam singles title since Becker emerged victorious in the 1996 Australian Open, but the former world No. 1 stressed he had “strong confidence” the latest arrangement could be fruitful.

“This is the new DTB,” said Becker, who also works as a tennis commentator for a number of TV outlets. “I had my problems with the old DTB but that is in the past now.”

2017 is turning out to be a bit of an annus horribilis for Novak Djokovic. Ahead of the French Open he teamed with Andre Agassi as the Serb looked for coaching guidance from the American tennis great. But Djokovic crashed out of the French Open after he was crushed by Dominic Thiem 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-0 in the quarterfinals.

In May 2017, Novak Djokovic parted ways with his entire coaching team in a bid to rediscover his "winning spark." Scroll through the gallery to see who has been part of the Serb's coaching team over the years.

Nikola Pilic (1999-2003) —

A French Open finalist in 1973, Nikola "Niki" Pilić went on to become the first captain to win the David Cup trophy for three different nations. The Croatian coached a teenage Djokovic at his tennis academy in Oberschleissheim, Germany.

Dejan Petrovic (2004-2005) —

Djokovic was coached by Dejan Petrović from the age of 16, moving over 200 places up the rankings into the ATP top 100 inside a year. Petrović, an Australian-born Serb, also coached 2008 French Open winner Ana Ivanovic from 2014 to 2015.

Riccardo Piatti (2005-2006) —

Italian tennis coach Riccardo Piatti divided his time between working with Djokovic and former world No. 3 Ivan Ljubičić. Despite only coaching Djokovic until the Serb was 18, Piatti claimed he always knew his protege was destined for greatness because he "battled so hard."

Marián Vajda (2006-2017) —

Former Czechoslovakia tennis player Marián Vajda coached Djokovic for over a decade, guiding his charge to 12 grand slam titles. The two parted ways in May 2017 as Djokovic sought "shock therapy" and a fresh direction ahead of the French Open.

Mark Woodforde (2007) —

Alongside Vajda, Djokovic worked with Australian 12-time grand slam doubles champion Mark Woodforde during the spring hard-court season in 2007, honing his volleys and net play.

Todd Martin (2009-2010) —

With his first major under his belt -- the 2008 Australian Open -- Djokovic turned to American former world No. 4 in the summer of 2009. The pairing ceased when the Serb lost his opening match of the Miami Masters after Martin had tried and failed to rejuvenate the Djokovic serve.

Gebhard Phil-Gritsch (2009-2017) —

Djokovic hired German fitness coach Gebhard Phil-Gritsch (R) in the spring of 2009 having identified conditioning as a weakness in his game. The two worked together until May 2017.

Igor Četojević (2010-2011) —

The most transformational figure in Djokovic's illustrious career was arguably not a coach but a nutritionist. Dr. Igor Cetojevic instructed the Serb to undertake a gluten-free diet, immediately alleviating his breathing problems and bringing spectacular results.

Boris Becker (2013-2016) —

Djokovic appointed six-time grand slam champion Boris Becker head coach in December 2013, citing him as a "true legend." It would become a fruitful partnership, with Djokovic winning six major titles in three years.

'The time of our life' —

They ended their arrangement in December 2016, capping a tumultuous year for Djokovic, who released a statement saying: "I will make all future decisions." Becker, in the aftermath of the announcement, posted on Twitter: "Thank you! We had the time of our life."

Andre Agassi (2017) —

When Djokovic ended his longstanding relationship with Vajda in May 2017, it appeared he was ready to go alone. But ahead of his French Open title defense, the 30-year-old turned to yet another so-called "super coach," approaching Agassi later that month and citing his "tremendous respect" for the American.

The coaching arrangements of Novak Djokovic in photos

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Becker and Djokovic “jointly decided” to end their cooperation in December, with Becker taking to Twitter to say: “We had the time of our life.”

Now, with promising German 20-year-old Alexander Zverev occupying sixth spot in the ATP world rankings, Becker will hope to improve the fortunes of his home country.

Germany’s next Davis Cup match comes in the World Group playoff against Portugal in September.

Barbara Rittner, captain of the German Fed Cup team since 2005, was named head of women’s tennis.