“No coach dares” – Becker sees problems with Zverev

“No new coach dares”

Boris Becker follows up Alexander Zverev

Germany’s best tennis player reacted irritably to the three-time Wimbledon champion’s words. Now Boris Becker has spoken out again and advised Zverev to make drastic changes.

Following his criticism of Alexander Zverev following his elimination from the preliminary round at the ATP Finals, Boris Becker once again commented on Germany’s best tennis player – and suggested that Zverev should make changes in his environment. “There is also the question of a new coach,” Becker told Sky on Saturday evening. “I thought the idea with Toni Nadal would be very good,” recalled the 58-year-old. Zverev trained at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca in the summer after his disappointing first round exit at Wimbledon and also worked out with his uncle Toni. However, there is no long-term cooperation.

Instead, Zverev continues to be deplored especially by his father Alexander senior and his brother Mischa, as has been the case for years. And that’s the problem, according to Becker: “No new coach dares to step into the father-brother-mother environment. That’s the next problem.”

Becker diagnosed Zverev with a “mental block” after recording a 4:6, 6:7 (4:7) in his decisive preliminary round match against Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime on Friday. The 28-year-old was “almost completely tense”. “He couldn’t handle the pressure and expectations.” Zverev himself reacted rather irritably to the criticism on Friday: “If that’s his opinion. To be honest, I’m tired of the comments,” he answered to a journalist’s question at the post-match press conference.

Becker has now stressed that he is not holding back the world number three’s reaction to it: “If I took seriously everything I said at the press conference immediately after the match, forget it.” What’s more: “He was of course very emotional, and I thought the journalist’s questions were also provocative; he ignored everything before and after.”

Now his closest confidants are asked to rebuild Zverev: “You can overcome the environment. Of course he is close to his family, of course, he also has a little daughter. They are now required to raise Sascha again.”