“World leaders look different”
Boris Becker is worried about Zverev – and expresses criticism
Oct 13, 2025 – 1:37 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Alexander Zverev is currently in a form crisis. Boris Becker is worried about the German tennis star – but also takes him responsible.
Boris Becker has expressed concern about Alexander “Sascha” Zverev’s current form and criticized the tennis professional in clear terms. In the podcast with former German player Andrea Petkovic, Becker said: “What do we do with our problem child Sascha Zverev? I actually thought in the summer that the performance was better after his time out after Wimbledon.” But the results at and after the US Open were consistently disappointing.
“We can explain all of this, but to be honest: world leaders look different,” said Becker’s criticism. Especially in comparison with the current dominators Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Zverev is falling behind. “I really thought he was knocking on the door of Sinner and Alcaraz, he is the third strongest force in world tennis. That is now Djokovic at 38 and Sascha is really chasing his form,” was the 57-year-old’s analysis.
Becker also renewed his criticism that Zverev is not looking for an addition to his coaching team: “Nothing new is happening in his box either. There is the father, there is the brother, the same faces as they have been for years.”
“If things were going well, I would be the first to congratulate,” said Becker, “but he’s really running behind his form now and I’m a little worried about what will happen next.” Zverev has important tournaments to complete in the next few weeks and has to defend many world ranking points at the Masters in Paris, where he won last year, and at the ATP Finals in Turin, where he made it to the semi-finals in 2024.
Becker is also critical of Zverev’s participation in the “Six Kings Slam” exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia. “There is a lot of money, but no points and no respect from the tennis scene,” said Becker. “I’m a little worried that the year will end so quietly. That would be bad. I hope he pulls himself together again and finds the solution to his problems.”
After his defeats, Zverev was brutally honest and self-critical, which should be honored. “But I think he doesn’t say what the problem is and what he needs to improve. That’s the next step for me, but we’ve been discussing it for weeks and months. I don’t see any improvement at the moment.”