German tennis legend Boris Becker has been released from a British prison and is expected to be deported immediately, said UK government officials Thursday.

The six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed in April for two years and six months for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets after he had declared bankruptcy.

London's Southwark Crown Court had convicted him on four charges under the Insolvency Act, which prohibits concealing debt and the removal of the property, and two counts of failing to disclose estate.

"Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity," a UK government official told BBC Sport.

Boris Becker
Boris Becker arrives at Southwark Crown Court to face sentencing after being found guilty of four charges, in London, on April 29, 2022 John Sibley/Reuters

Becker would have had to serve at least 15 months of his total sentence before being eligible for release, but reportedly was freed early as part of a program to help mitigate the pressure on Britain's overcrowded prisons, Agence France-Presse says.

Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley accused Becker in April of "playing the system with bad faith" by concealing and transferring assets to two ex-partners while depriving creditors of more than 2 million pounds ($2.51 million) in assets, none of which he had attempted to pay back.

Becker's lawyer, Jonathan Laidlaw, had told the court after the sentencing that the athlete was left with "literally nothing to show for what was the most glittering of sporting careers," and his case was "nothing short of a tragedy."

Becker has lived in the UK since 2012 and retired from professional tennis in 1999. He won six Grand Slam singles titles, including three at Wimbledon, during his illustrious 15-year career.

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