An application against German Becker, 49, was made by Arbuthnot Latham Bank in connection with a loan debt believed to be in the region of £3m.

Lawyers acting for Becker said that he was capable of paying off the debt, and needed a few more weeks to mortgage off a property in Majorca. He is also working as a TV tennis commentator with the BBC among others, and has coached multi-major tennis champion Novak Djokovic in recent years.

However, the court rejected the deferment, with registrar Christine Derrett stating that there was no evidence of personal assets sufficient to discharge the debt at this point in time.

Last night Becker used Twitter to express his disappointment at the decision. He said that the bankruptcy order related to one disputed loan, that he was due to repay in a month’s time.

‘My earnings are well-publicised and it was clear that I have the means to repay the debt,’ he stated.

‘I intend to make application to have this order set aside immediately. In the meantime, I will concentrate on my work and in particular my presenting duties for the BBC and other international outlets.’

Arbuthnot Latham would not comment further on the matter.

Report by Kevin Reed