Boris Becker Opens Up About the State of His Relationship With Alexander Zverev Amid Heavy Criticism

Alexander Zverev managed to win just one title on tour this season.

Boris Becker Opens Up About the State of His Relationship With Alexander Zverev Amid Heavy Criticism

Boris Becker, Alexander Zverev (Image via Tennis.com, X/AllAboutHQ)

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For the past couple of months, Boris Becker has mounted heavy criticism on fellow countryman Alexander Zverev for his lack of desire to win Grand Slams and compete with other top players. The tennis legend has now opened up about the state of his relationship with the 28-year-old amid the criticism.

Despite Becker and Zverev being from the same country and known to be two of the greatest players in the history of German tennis, they haven’t seen eye to eye in 2025. Becker has been heavily frustrated with Zverev’s performance in major tournaments this season and his lazy approach in challenging Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on tour.

The 28-year-old has struggled in the shadows of Alcaraz and Sinner this season and has just managed to win one title. His form got worse in the middle of the year when he began to lose to players ranked outside the Top 50. He has also failed to beat either of the two stars on tour this year. In fact, the last time he defeated Alcaraz was at the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin.

Recently, Becker criticized the World No.3 for his performance at the ATP Finals last week after he failed to reach the semi-finals. The German star won just one match in the round robin stage. Zverev reacted to the comments, insisting that Becker was only looking for attention by talking about him.

The recent back-and-forth has now put a stain in the relationship between Zverev and Becker. In the latest episode of the Becker-Petkovic podcast, the former World No.1 revealed that he often holds a private conversation with Zverev and that’s the reason he openly criticizes him each time he fails to play to expectations:

I am often in private discussion with him when he asks me what he should change, what he can improve, and what he has to improve. And we have already played many training sessions together. That’s why I dare to speak openly to him, because he listens from time to time and does what I say from time to time. But tennis players are their own types. I also didn’t always do what my coach wanted me to do.

Zverev’s only title victory this year came at the Munich Open, where he defeated Ben Shelton in straight sets. He reached another two finals on tour, first losing to Taylor Fritz at the Stuttgart Open and then to Sinner in Vienna.

Boris Becker reiterates desire to see Alexander Zverev win Grand Slams on tour

Alexander Zverev is still chasing his first Grand Slam of his career. The former World No.2 remains among the top players on tour who have yet to win a major title. In the last two years, he has reached two Slam finals, first at the 2024 Roland Garros and then the 2025 Australian Open, losing to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, respectively.

Alexander Zverev, Boris Becker
Alexander Zverev, Boris Becker (Image via X/Murat Taskolu, Univers Tennis)

The 28-year-old looks far from winning a Grand Slam title as Alcaraz and Sinner have ramped up their rivalry, reaching the last three finals. During the aforementioned podcast, Boris Becker pointed out that he wants Zverev to win a Grand Slam title before retiring:

I want Sascha [Zverev] to win. I want Sascha to win Grand Slams. To become the number one in the world. This year, February, March, he had the chance. But I have a job. I am a tennis expert, and I stand for credibility. If someone serves a double fault, I cannot say it was an ace. This is not because I mean it badly or critically, but because I simply know about this wonderful sport.

Zverev is currently competing at the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, where he hopes to lead Germany to a title victory. However, he wasn’t at his best performance at the ATP Finals in Turin. He managed to beat only Ben Shelton in the round robin stage before losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last match.

Also Read: Darren Cahill Heaps Praise on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for ‘Incredible’ Off-Court Friendship