Boris serves it up to an eager public

Live from Florida, real-life entertainment capital of the world, it's Becker Vs Becker: The War of the Roses. For television addicts looking to fill the gap in their lives created when Al Gore conceded the presidency, the televised divorce battle between Boris Becker and his wife, Barbara, seemed just the ticket.

The man who retired from the tennis court in 1999 last week went head-to-head with his estranged wife in the family court to fight for custody of their two children. The couple separated last month after seven years of marriage, saying in a statement that they had "drifted apart".

But any pretence of an amicable separation vanished days later when a woman came forward claiming she had given birth to the three-time Wimbledon champion's love child. Angela Ermakova claims Becker made her pregnant as a result of an encounter in the broom cupboard of a fashionable London restaurant and has launched a paternity suit.

"The Cupboard of Love" was the headline in Germany's Bild newspaper over a photo of where the alleged incident took place. Adjacent was a photo said to be of Ms Ermakova's nine-month-old daughter, complete with "her father's red hair and blue eyes", the newspaper said.

"He is the father of my child. I haven't been able to reach an agreement with him so I have no further option other than to go to court. He has been aware all the time," Ms Ermakova told the News of the World last month.

Becker says Ms Ermakova's allegations are a fabrication and that she is just another opportunistic woman trying to take part of his fortune, estimated to be as much as £120 million. However, the allegation could not come at a worse time for Becker as he wages an increasingly vociferous war of words with wife, breathlessly reported word for bitter word in the German tabloids.

After Mrs Becker fled from Germany to Florida last month, her husband accused her of kidnapping their children, aged six and two, and filed for divorce in Munich. His wife responded by filing a petition in a Miami court demanding custody of the two children and financial support from her husband as well as the couple's $3 million holiday home on Fisher Island, an exclusive enclave off Miami.

A ceasefire of sorts came earlier this week when lawyers unexpectedly announced that the two were striving to settle their differences away from the courtroom television cameras.

"Barbara and Boris are focused on getting this matter resolved properly and promptly with dignity and privacy," said Mrs Becker's lawyer, Mr Samuel Burstyn.

To compensate for the dearth of television footage and new developments, the German media have wheeled out psychologists and confidants to fill the column inches. "We know that Boris is mentally strong, someone that could fight back after losing two sets and still win," one "expert" told Bild.

But supposedly close friends have confided to the country's best-selling newspaper that they are not so sure that Boris is coping. "Babs has the children and the house. Boris is alone and is burying himself in his work to forget," said one.

Becker's tennis deeds are the stuff of legend, nowhere more so than in Germany. In 1985, a 17year-old Becker won his first Wimbledon title. Before he turned 22, he had won four Grand Slams - one victory at the US Open and two further titles at Wimbledon, whose centre court he liked to refer to as "my living room".

Since retiring from tennis in 1999, he has become a businessman and a favourite of the Munich entertainment society. His biggest earners, however, have been endorsements, such as those for TAG Heuer watches and for the Internet company America On Line (AOL).

LIKE many great sportsmen, Becker has always been partial to hastily worded bon mots. In the one interview he gave since his separation, to German news agency dpa, he was on top form. "We fought long and hard to save our marriage. . . [but] time passes and leaves its marks. On all of us. And now we're paying the price," he said, before lapsing into sporting metaphors.

"Some people said I have won many fifth sets but this fifth set had been going on for a long time, for months. Even in tennis there were some fifth sets I never won. This fifth set I definitely lost. I am only a human being. I don't always win," he said, losing all but the most avid tennis fans.

The Beckers were one of Germany's highest-profile couples. Their first meeting in a New York bar and subsequent courtship were well documented by German tabloids. Following news of the separation, they rehashed the details of how the tennis star proposed, by dropping a diamond engagement ring into his lover's cocktail.

The couple married in December 1993, and have two children, Noah Gabriel and Elias Balthasar, aged six and two respectively. Becker has often said that times were not always easy for his family. Last year he said that he had considered leaving Germany because he feared for his family's safety in Munich.

"I have a black wife and black children and I'm not just talking about it, I live this problem every day," he said, revealing that he had received a series of racist threats. Rather than leave Germany, he hired bodyguards to protect his family and recently took part in a high-profile campaign against right-wing extremism.

In the eyes of the German tabloids, Becker is the blue-eyed boy of the piece, despite the alleged love-child and rumours of another affair with a rap-singing former friend of his wife.

Barbara Becker, on the other hand, has been accused of dragging out divorce proceedings to squeeze more money out of her husband. "A written agreement between the Beckers still lacks one signature. Why does Barbara continue to let Boris wriggle?" Bild asked on Thursday.

Mrs Becker signed a prenuptial agreement in 1993, agreeing to divorce in Germany, but Florida law allows her to pursue alimony, custody and support without requesting a divorce. The agreement also guaranteed her a payment of £2 million in case of divorce.

"Barbara, however, is looking for DM15 million [£6 million], meaning that for every day of the seven-year marriage she would receive DM5,900 [£2,300]," reported Bild.

As the fight for the Becker fortune continues, the fight for the children remains unresolved. Becker says he fears for their safety and wants them with him in Munich. Germany is ready for a heart-wrenching tug-of-love episode in what has become a national real-life soap opera.

Becker's mother, Elvira, herself a soap star, joined her son in Florida this week to rubbish Mrs Becker's claims that their fame means they cannot raise the children in an appropriate environment.

German television executives are hoping for more televised fireworks this week. Meanwhile Germany's matrons tut-tut the headlines but, when no one is watching, buy a copy of Bild to catch up on the latest episode of "Babs and Boom Boom Becker".