Following Boris Becker’s love life has become something of a spectator sport in Germany. The tennis legend, now a pop culture icon in his homeland, has never shied away from his ladies’ man reputation, having been involved in several high-profile relationships – and spectacular break-ups – over the years.
This summer Becker, 40, surprised many with his engagement to Alexandra (Sandy) Meyer-Woelden, 25, a designer and the daughter of his late longtime manager, Axel Meyer-Woelden. Though the announcement was met with some skepticism, Sandy and Boris proceeded with celebrations and wedding plans before abruptly announcing their split last week.
The breakup was widely reported by Germany celebrity magazines such as Bunte and Bild, and was the second-biggest news story on Bild’s Web site, behind only that other minor news item from last week – the election of Barack Obama.
The split came as a surprise to many, as just weeks ago the seemingly happy couple was photographed at Octoberfest in Munich.
“I did everything for this relationship. I am disappointed and hurt,” Meyer-Woelden said in a statement. “I ask for understanding, that I do not want to say anything in this emotional situation [regarding] this incident.”
The Munich native is thought to be at her New York City apartment at this time, where she is much more likely to avoid media scrutiny. A close friend told Bild that Meyer-Woelden “suspected nothing.”
In August, Becker popped the question among family and friends in Sardinia, presenting Meyer-Woelden with a two-diamond and white gold ring thought to be valued at EUR 150,000 (about $188,000). An engagement party at exclusive Munich restaurant Kaefer was followed by a celebratory vacation in Switzerland before a trip to New York for the U.S. Open.
The engagement lasted 83 days.
The impossible-to-maintain jet-set lifestyle is thought to be partially responsible for the relationship’s downfall.
“We didn’t manage to get the daily things to work,” Becker told Bild, according to The Local, a German-English news service. “No third party was to blame or involved. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get it to work.”
Reports that Becker is reuniting with ex-girlfriend Lilly Kerssenberg have also surfaced in the days following the break-up.
The 15-year-age difference between Becker and Meyer-Woelden, as well as his connection to her father, added to the intrigue of the pairing. Her father, Axel, was a high-profile attorney, representing clients such as Becker and Germany’s national soccer team, before he passed away in 1997.
At that time, Sandy was attending high school in Bradenton, Fla., as well as training at the Bollettieri Academy, where she would meet and go on to date another German player, Tommy Haas. The two dated off and on for four years before calling it quits in 2003. A brief reunion in 2006 was short-lived.
Haas and Meyer-Woelden also modeled for a steamy Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot in 2002.
Haas’ father, Peter, added a bit of drama to the announcement last week that his son’s former flame and Becker had broken up.
“The whole relationship [never] made sense. [I am] still more surprised that it went apart, however, I am over the fact that it began at all,” he told Bild.
This would have been Becker’s second marriage. He is divorced from his wife of seven years, Barbara Feltus, with whom he has two sons, Noah and Elias. He also fathered a child with model Angela Ermakova.