Tiebreak for Sabrina, Boris?

M D Riti in Bangalore

"The nitty-gritty of their affair is not known to us," says Krishnan Setlur, father of famous German rap singer Sabrina Setlur, Boris Becker's current love. "But the German press has continuously chastised poor Sabrina ever since her affair with Boris came to light. They have said everything, ranging from making Sabrina pregnant by Boris, to saying she had surgery to lift her bustline up for him! I know, of course, that none of this is true!"

But have Sabrina and Boris now parted ways? Is Boris really regretting his divorce from his wife of seven years' standing, Barbara [who Krishnan refers to as Babs]? Is he going back to her?

Krishnan, a German banker of Bangalorean origin, who migrated to Frankfurt from Coimbatore almost 30 years ago, does not really know.

A fortnight ago, he had told rediff.com that he believed Sabrina would marry Boris at once if the German tennis icon proposed to her. Now, he says he does not know the exact current status of their romance.

"I spoke to Sabrina yesterday [Friday] and informed her in no uncertain terms that we are behind her 100 per cent, come what may," Krishnan said, in an exclusive interview with rediff.com, from his home in Germany, on Saturday. "All I know is what I read in the press and from the TV."

He adds: "A lot of my German neighbours, who are well wishers of my family, and who know Sabrina and her younger sister, Yvonne, very well, do not endorse her affair with Boris. I had no choice but to tell them that destiny will play its part. I believe firmly in the Almighty, and am sure that whatever happens will be for her best."

Krishnan and Theresa Setlur, who met, fell in love, married and continue to make a life for themselves in Germany, although both are of Indian origin, have taken a very philosophical and mature view of their daughter's high profile romance with the tennis ace. They neither bad mouth Boris for possibly ending the affair, nor blame him for putting their daughter in the public limelight for something other than her own spectacular career.

But Krishnan does blame the German press for sensationalising the entire romance and speculating about it.

"I am not the kind of man who says grapes are sour," affirms Krishnan now. "But your German counterparts [i.e, German journalists] have attempted to make the Setlur family's life miserable. Thankfully, they did not succeed!"

There is no doubt that the entire Setlur clan, spread across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, have all declared themselves solidly behind their famous kinswoman, whatever the outcome of her liaison with Boris. Her aunt, Srimathi, and uncle, Sathyam, who both lived in close proximity to Sabrina for three decades in Germany and just returned home a couple of years ago, had told rediff.com recently that Sabrina need never fear the outcome of her romance as she is already an established singer with a career that is on the upswing.

"She was famous all over Europe much before she ever met Boris," said Sathyam indignantly. "It's just that she is now linked with an international celebrity, while she was a celebrity in Europe mainly because she sings in German."

The Setlurs, for their part, do not appear to have interacted much with Boris. Krishnan had sometime back said he had spoken with Boris briefly on New Year's day, and hoped to catch up with him at a public function shortly. Sabrina lives in her own apartment in the same city as them.

You can also read:
Sabrina & Boris: A Love Story
'We are behind Sabrina hundred per cent...'
Becker separated from Setlur?