One of Boris Becker's most valuable assets during his storied professional tennis career was his ruthless and aggressive style of play. Now, the 40-year-old tennis icon and German native is hoping those same competitive juices will allow him to thrive in the game of poker.
Becker, a six-time Grand Slam winner who at 17 years old became the youngest player to win Wimbledon, has signed on to become PokerStars' newest ambassador. Becker will represent the popular poker room in live and online tournaments and star in a new television advertising campaign.
"When I was still playing professional tennis, I started learning to play poker casually in-between games because it helped me to improve my concentration," said Becker, whose name has remained in the headlines since his retirement due to his tumultuous personal life and his continued popularity among Germans. "Now I want to develop my poker skills and challenge myself to become really competitive at the highest levels in poker."
Becker's first task as the new face of PokerStars will be to embark on a training program to improve his poker abilities to be able to compete at international poker tournaments. As part of his training, Becker will play in professional tournaments such as the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour (EPT) in Dortmund, Germany from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 and the Grand Finale in Monte Carlo from April 12-17.
"Boris Becker is a world class sportsman who became famous for his competitive spirit and aggressive, entertaining playing style, so we're delighted that he has become an ambassador for PokerStars," said Tamar Yaniv, Director of Marketing for PokerStars. "Thanks to his commitment to fighting for every point on [the] court, he perfectly embodies the competitive spirit at the heart of all good poker players. And now PokerStars is giving their players who have always dreamed of facing Boris Becker at Wimbledon the opportunity to compete with him in Dortmund."
PokerStars is the title sponsor of the EPT and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. PokerStars also hosts the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) each fall and sponsors other events, like the World Cup of Poker. WSOP Champions Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem are also members of Team PokerStars, as is Canada's Daniel Negreanu.
