Tennis star Boris Becker and ex-wife settle divorce dispute

German tennis star Boris Becker and his ex-wife Barbara, whose seven-year marriage ended last month, have reached a settlement on a dispute over custody of the couple's two children and financial support, lawyers for both sides said on Friday.

Lawyer Sam Burstyn, who has represented Barbara Becker in Miami where the couple own a vacation home, told reporters, "we've submitted to court the agreed final order ... this ends all of the litigation."

"The litigation in Germany and in the United States has now been terminated and concluded. We today entered into the final agreement, submitting to the Florida court the termination of hostilities, so to speak," he said.

A lawyer for Boris Becker, Gene Rostov, confirmed that a settlement had been reached, telling Reuters "I think it was the best solution for the family and we are pleased with the resolution of this matter as well."

The terms of the agreement would not be made public, Burstyn said. But he added that Barbara Becker would remain indefinitely living in Miami's exclusive Fisher Island with their two sons, Noah, 6, and Elias, 16 months.

Three-times Wimbledon champion Boris Becker and Barbara were married seven years ago in Germany, where they lived, and separated last month.

What appeared at first to be an amicable parting turned ugly within days after Barbara Becker left Germany with the children for their Florida vacation home.

The dispute over their separation gripped Germany, with many tuning in to watch live television coverage of Becker during a Florida court hearing earlier in January.

The Beckers were divorced in Munich on January 15 in an agreement that was sealed by the German court.

Under terms of the divorce deal, Barbara Becker's lawyers were supposed to drop the petition she filed in Florida in December seeking financial support and custody of the children.

In turn, Boris Becker's lawyers were supposed to drop the petition he filed in Florida accusing her of keeping the boys in the United States against their father's wishes.

"INTERESTS OF CHILDREN PARAMOUNT"

At a court hearing in Miami 10 days ago that was expected to be a routine formality, Boris Becker's petition was dropped but Barbara Becker's lawyers refused to drop hers, claiming Boris had breached the divorce agreement without specifying how, a Boris Becker attorney, Robert Kohlman, said at the time.

Burstyn did not give details of the settlement reached on Friday but said "the interests of the children were paramount."

"We're very pleased with the way the parties conducted themselves and the fact that it was resolved in about a month and a half notwithstanding the complexities, difficulties, and international elements," he said.

Rostov said of the agreement: "It took a while to get the loose ends together," but "it's all over now."

German media have reported that the terms of the divorce included a payment of $14.4 million, shared custody of their sons and the choice for his wife to live in the couple's home on Fisher Island or one in Munich.

German lawyers of the two Beckers said, however, that the sums reported are exaggerated.

Rostov said of the reported payment, "it's speculation."