Boris Becker's £15million villa seized over gardener's unpaid bill

Triple Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has had his £15million Majorcan villa complex seized by the Spanish authorities over an unpaid wage bill of £246,000 to his gardener.

A Spanish court ordered the sequestration of his 700,000sqft ranch-style house and grounds, called Son Coll, until the bill is paid.

The judgment was handed down last month. It is the latest in a long string of financial headaches that the villa has caused Becker over the past 14 years. He has been trying to sell it since 2007 - hence the enormous upkeep on the massive grounds.

Becker's lawyer argued before a court on the island that the sum can only be paid by his client when the property is sold by celebrity German realtor Matthias Kuehn. Kuehn said he was not responsible for settling Becker's gardening debts before it is sold. Becker told German newspaper Bild: "It's not so dramatic. But if someone believes they have suffered an injustice it is up to him to seek redress. The procedure is ongoing so I can say no more."

He bought the villa with his former wife Barbara in 1997. He was fined close to £190,000 by a court in 2004 for unauthorised changes to it during construction. The villa boasts a garden with orange trees, a guest house, pool, tennis and basketball courts.

Becker is currently in London, commentating on the Wimbledon championships.