Boris Becker Calls for Alexander Zverev to Replace His Father as Coach After French Open Elimination

Alexander Zverev is without a Grand Slam title at 28 after missing out at another opportunity to claim a major at Roland Garros.

Boris Becker Calls for Alexander Zverev to Replace His Father as Coach After French Open Elimination

Boris Becker (via Instagram/Boris Becker), Alexander Zverev (via Instagram/Alexander Zverev)

Alexander Zverev exited the Roland Garros in the quarter-finals after losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic. The World No.3 finished as a runner-up last year and was expected to go a step higher by winning the title, but he struggled to do so. Tennis legend Boris Becker has now called for his father, Alexander Mikhailovich Zverev Sr, to be replaced as coach.

Zverev was beaten by 38-year-old Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 4-6 at the Roland Garros, a tie he was a favorite to win. That now leaves him without a Grand Slam title at 28, despite being one of the most accomplished and talented players of his generation. He has been to three Grand Slam finals in his career, finishing as a runner-up in all of them.

However, the defeat to Djokovic at the French Open came in the wake of a tricky clay season for Zverev. He had endured a poor run of form in three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 events. His only success on the red dirt was at the BMW Open, where he defeated Ben Shelton to claim the title.

His father, Alexander Mikhailovic, has been part of his coaching team since the start of his career. Although he has been coached by Ivan Lendl and Juan Carlos Ferrero, his father always had the final say in his career. Boris Becker revealed on TNT Sports that it’s time for the German star to part ways with his father, citing Rafael Nadal as an example:

He had [Ivan] Lendl, [Juan Carlos] Ferrero, [David] Ferrer and [Sergi] Bruguera. It doesn’t get much better than that. But they were all always embedded with his father and his brother. And I don’t think anyone new will come along in this constellation. If you take a look at Nadal’s career. Toni Nadal was there for a long time, then Carlos Moya or Francisco Roig came along at some point.

Becker then added that Zverev must also ask himself certain questions about his career after the disappointing French Open exit:

The question is: What does Sascha want? Is he satisfied with being No. 2 in the world? Is he satisfied with an outstanding tennis career to date? Or is he saying that he wants to try again and turn everything upside down?

Zverev has struggled to find his best level since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final in January. He has reached only one final since then, which has seen him drop to World No.3 in the ATP rankings.

Boris Becker says Alexander Zverev has to end his Grand Slam drought very soon

Alexander Zverev is currently running out of time in his hopes to win his first Grand Slam title. At 28, he’s currently at his peak and may just have two or three years more before he might possibly begin to decline due to his age. Boris Becker revealed during the aforementioned conversation that younger generation are getting better and Zverev has to win a Grand Slam soon:

The younger generation is getting better. The competition is not Djokovic’s generation, but that of [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner. They are five or six years younger – and then comes the next generation around [Joao] Fonseca and [Arthur] Fils. The sooner Zverev wins the Grand Slam title, the better it would be. Against superstars like Djokovic or Sinner and Alcaraz, you have to win the points. They don’t give you gifts and don’t get nervous.

Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)
Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)

After his Roland Garros exit, Zverev is expected to play at the Stuttgart Open, but he has, on a few occasions in recent years, withdrawn from the tournament. If he doesn’t play in Stuttgart, he will compete at the ATP 500 Halle Open, kick-starting his grass-court campaign.

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