Zverev counters Becker criticism
“I lost to Djoković, not against Hans Peter”
09.06.2025 – 7:00 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
After the end of Alexander Zverev, Boris Becker publicly criticized. Now the best German tennis player is shooting back.
Alexander Zverev reacted to the public statements of Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner after his quarter-final out of the French Open. In Stuttgart, the 28-year-old was clearly expressed-and with a noticeable displeasure.
“I think if I go well with me, I always do everything right. And if things go badly, everyone is always very, very smart. Unfortunately, Boris is part of it,” said Zverev. He also sharply criticized Rittner’s statements. He takes her opinion “not seriously” – she represents a “wrong opinion”.
Zverev failed in the quarterfinals of top star Novak Djoković. In the final, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz dueled for over five hours – with the better end for Alcaraz. “I still see myself as a candidate to compete against the two boys up there,” said Zverev. “I lost to Djoković, not against Hans Peter, who is 250 in the world.”
Boris Becker had accused the Olympic champion passivity after the defeat. The three -time Wimbledon winner also spoke out for changes in the coaching team. So far, Zverev has mainly been looked after by his father. “You have the impression that he plays against the top players in the same trott and hopes that the result will be good,” said Becker. Zverev’s father and brother had done a good job, “but it wasn’t good enough for the last step”.
Zverev and Becker have known each other for years. “I also had a lot of contact with Boris before making this statement,” said Zverev. So far, the relationship was “great”. He emphasized: “I still have massive respect for him. I will always listen to what he has to say, but I don’t always have to agree.”
Barbara Rittner also commented after the game – and Zverev’s reason for the defeat was questioned. Among other things, it had referred to changed weather conditions. But Rittner replied: “He explains that it was 20 degrees Celsius in set one, the game was faster and he could pull the forehand more. But in sentences two, three and four … there was no fall in temperature.”
After the end in Paris, Zverev treated himself to Gulf in Mallorca for a few days. The tournament in Stuttgart is coming up this week. There, the top German player has a free time at the start and is expected to open for the first time on Thursday.