Power of Caring
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Father of Boris Becker dies

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Posted: Tuesday April 20, 1999 10:07 AM

Boris Becker: "In this difficult situation I have to and want to be close to my family. Especially my mother needs me." Clive Brunskill/Allsport

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) -- A day after his victory over French No. 1 Cedric Pioline, Boris Becker withdrew from the Monte Carlo Open on Tuesday after the death of his father Karl-Heinz Becker from stomach cancer.

"I am very, very sad. I admired my father and I owe him a lot," the 31-year-old German star said in a statement.

"In this difficult situation I have to and want to be close to my family. Especially my mother needs me," he said.

Becker was due to play Frenchman Jerome Golmard in the second round of the $2.2 million event.

 

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