Boris Becker’s US Open trophy sells at huge price – it’s more than he got in prize money | Tennis | Sport
The US Open men’s singles trophy, won by Boris Becker in 1989, has sold for £264,271 ($357,546) through action. It’s the most that has ever been paid for a tennis trophy, and makes Becker’s cup one of the most expensive pieces of tennis memorabilia ever sold. According to the lot, it is the only known US Open men’s singles trophy to be sold at public auction, and it fetched even more than Becker earned in prize money for winning the title, £221,737 ($300,000).
The trophy was given to Becker after he defeated Ivan Lendl 7-6(2) 1-6 6-3 7-6(4) to win what was his fourth Grand Slam title, and his only US Open crown. It had previously been on display at the International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, on loan from Becker himself.
It only emerged publicly as a result of the German’s bankruptcy proceedings. The former world No. 1 declared bankruptcy in London in 2017, and in 2019, the joint trustees of the bankruptcy estate of Boris Becker instructed their agents to auction some of his trophies and memorabilia.
In April 2022, Becker was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act, relating to his bankruptcy. He was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, but served eight months in HM Prison Wandsworth and HM Prison Huntercombe before he was released and deported back to Germany.
Becker’s US Open trophy was produced by Tiffany & Co. and is made of sterling silver, engraved with: “United States Tennis Association / United States Open Tennis Championship / Men’s Singles / Boris Becker / 1989.”
The starting bid for the silver cup was £18,478 ($25,000) but it sold for around 14 times that price. Bidding closed on Sunday, April 12. The item lot reads: “This remarkable artefact represents an exceedingly rare opportunity for collectors to acquire one of the major prizes in the sport of tennis.
“Unlike team sports, where hundreds of championship rings are produced each year, or even other major competitions where multiple trophy examples may exist, a Grand Slam singles title yields one champion’s trophy—retained by the player and virtually never entering the public market.
“Until this trophy emerged from Becker’s bankruptcy, to the best of our knowledge the only known way to obtain an Open Era U.S. Open Men’s Singles champion’s trophy was to win the U.S. Open.”
The trophy became the second-most expensive piece of tennis memorabilia ever sold behind the racket Novak Djokovic used to win the 2012 Australian Open, which went for a record £399,127.50 ($540,000) earlier this year.
