Some people claim that Boris Becker learned tennis by playing chess. That’s about as believable as saying you master driving by collecting Matchbox cars. Sure, chess is about strategy – but that’s about the only intersection between the two disciplines. Still, it would have been nice if Boris Becker had applied more chessboard tactics to his financial life. Then perhaps he wouldn’t have sacrificed every pawn just to feel like a king for a moment.
His career shows: talent on the court does not equal cleverness in life. A smashing serve doesn’t help when you’re crashing financially. And while a chess player plans ten moves ahead, Becker seemed to follow more of a roulette strategy: betting everything on red and hoping the ball lands in his favor. Unfortunately, it often didn’t – both in his bank account and in court. Maybe he really would have been better off spending more time at the chessboard than on the tennis court.