Boris Becker Offers Key Advice to Alexander Zverev on Protecting His Mental Game

Boris Becker addressed an audience from around the globe in a one-hour session in the heart of Messe Essen, Germany.

Boris Becker Offers Key Advice to Alexander Zverev on Protecting His Mental Game

Alexander Zverev (image via Wimbledon), Boris Becker (image via Michael Chisholm / Rhine-Ruhr 2025)

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Six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker offered some words of sympathy to his younger compatriot Alexander Zverev. Although Zverev has clinched the coveted Olympic gold medal, he is yet to win a Grand Slam title. Having made it to three Grand Slam finals, he is considered by few to be the best player to have never won a Grand Slam.

His last Grand Slam final appearance was at the Australian Open, where he lost to defending champion Jannik Sinner. However, his performance at the Wimbledon Championships was quite shocking, as he was amongst the 13 seeded players that crashed out in the first round.

Following his opening round exit, Zverev made some shocking and distressing remarks about his mental health struggles. Becker, however, feels that Zverev shouldn’t have opened up too much about himself at that moment. Speaking at a multi-sport event in Messe Essen, Germany, on Monday, the former World No. 1 remarked:

Alexander Zverev is a kind of sporting adopted son to me; I have a lot of empathy for him. If I had been his coach, I would have advised him not to reveal such information about his mental state at the Wimbledon press conference. Ideally, you don’t open up when you’re eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.

Following the Wimbledon exit, Zverev will next be playing at the Canadian Open, where he is top seeded. Several other seeded players, such as the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, and Novak Djokovic, have withdrawn from this tournament, leaving the draw wide open for perhaps a new Masters 1000 champion this time.

Zverev is yet to clinch a Masters 1000 trophy or reach the final at this level this year, so it will be interesting to see how he fares at this upcoming event especially after his training at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Boris Becker opens up about winning his maiden Grand Slam title at 17

Winning a Grand Slam is a dream for any tennis player, and doing so at a young age is seen as an astonishing feat. Several great players have won their maiden Grand Slam at a young age: Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon at 17, Rafael Nadal won the first of his 14 Roland Garros titles at 19, and Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open at 19. However, Boris Becker offered a different perspective on this unique feat, which even he had accomplished.

As a 17-year-old, you can’t prepare yourself for everything that comes your way. If I hadn’t won the final at this young age, it would probably have been healthier for my mind, body, and soul. It’s kind of my own fault for all the scars I have now.

Boris Becker
Boris Becker (image via Michael Chisholm / Rhine-Ruhr 2025)

In 1985, Becker became the first unseeded player and the first German to clinch the Wimbledon singles title. He was also the youngest male Grand Slam singles champion at 17 years, 227 days, a record later broken by Michael Chang at the 1989 Roland Garros. With all his years of experience as a player and a coach, Becker would advise his younger self and upcoming athletes to take a break—press the stop button and take a deep breath for a while.

Also Read: Boris Becker ‘Cried’ Watching Alexander Zverev Make Mental Health Struggles Admission at Wimbledon