Boris Becker and Alexander Zverev together on the training court! These pictures recently fueled rumors of a collaboration. Becker has now addressed them.
Will tennis legend Boris Becker and Germany’s best player Alexander Zverev be working more closely together in the future? Speculation was fueled when the duo stood together on the court before Zverev’s home tournament in Monte Carlo earlier this month. In the Becker Petkovic podcast, which he hosts together with former top 10 player Andrea Petkovic, he now explains the background.
Becker has known Zverev since he was five years old because he used to coach Zverev’s brother Mischa. Then Mischa said, “Watch out, my little brother is going to be much better than me.” And since then, I’ve actually been really close friends with the family. I see myself a bit as a friend of the family.
When Becker later worked as team boss for the German Tennis Federation (2017 to 2021), the exchange intensified again. “I often accompanied him to tournaments, always under the guise of ‘team boss of the German Tennis Federation’. And I tried to help him a little, especially to give him confidence.”
Becker is “really part of Sascha’s inner circle” and has “not only been able to watch him train in Monte Carlo or accompany him. It’s just that no one noticed.”
“He can call me day or night.”
Becker and Zverev are “in regular contact. He can call me day or night if he has a question. And then I can maybe answer it on the phone or come to training with him.” Becker does not want to reveal any details of these conversations in his podcast for privacy reasons, saying that Zverev is “a bit like a sporting protégé” to him. I know almost everything about his strengths and weaknesses. He is now in a very exciting phase emotionally because he wants to achieve something he has never achieved before. That means winning a Grand Slam and, of course, becoming world number one. And I know a lot about that.”
However, Becker makes one thing clear: “I won’t be his coach; that will always be his father’s role, but I will be a close friend and advisor.” If Zverev achieves his two big goals, “then it won’t just be Zverev who wins, but also tennis in Germany. And then we’ll all benefit. And that’s what I’m striving for.”
Becker sees the fact that the rumor of a collaboration has caused such a stir in a positive light: “It also speaks to the popularity of our sport. Tennis is in the headlines more often than I’ve seen in years. I actually thought things would calm down after the Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic era. On the contrary, there are so many incredible stories, even in Germany. We have an absolute superstar in tennis, and his name is Sascha Zverev.”
Zverev? ‘If that’s not a good omen’
After a few less successful months, he is back on the upswing just in time for the tournaments in Madrid, Rome, and Paris. “He himself has already mentioned that he went through a valley of tears in February and March. I also think his tournament planning was wrong. He made mistakes there, he knows that,“ Becker emphasizes. His tournament victory in Munich, where he was able to turn around a dramatic match against Tallon Griekspoor in the quarterfinals, could be the spark he needs.
”I think that broke the spell. The semifinals and finals were world class again. That’s why I’m actually optimistic that he’s back to his old strength, that he’s maybe improved his game a bit, made it a little more aggressive.” On the match point in the final against Ben Shelton, which he converted with a volley, Becker says: ‘Well, if that’s not a good omen.’
