German born former tennis number one Boris Becker is no stranger to success in his sport, most famously whilst previously playing tennis in his glory days. But now Boris is looking for success in another area of sport, that being poker. Boris has decided to join the large team of professionals being sponsored to play on the PokerStars website, along with appearing in a new PokerStars advertising campaign that will be broadcasted on TV.
Boris quoted; “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,” Becker said. “Now I want to develop my poker skills and challenge myself to become really competitive at the highest levels in poker.” “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, EMEA Marketing from PokerStars. “Thanks to his commitment to fighting for every point on 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.”
In order to ensure that Becker gains the skills that he will require when facing the poker giants that can be found playing at PokerStars, the tennis legend will be participating in an intense training regime to pull up the standard of his poker skills. After this training period Becker will progress onto playing the remaining chapters of the European Poker Tour which begin in Dortmund in January. It appears that Becker recognises the level of skill that is in involved in order to reach anywhere near the level of being a professional poker player, but is also prepared to attempt to channel all of the skills and qualities that he has developed over the years from playing tennis into the game. All this will be done with the intention of the star becoming professional at some point within the near future and if possible taking the step from simply a casual poker player all the way to the top.
All you poker players out there shouldn’t be too gobsmacked by PokerStars investment into Becker, with both the ever increasing popularity of the game, along with the sport becoming a mainstream hobby, many celebrities are likely to be drawn into the world of poker endorsement.
