Don’t waste the chance
Boris Becker gives Zverev a title ultimatum
January 6, 2025 – 1:19 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Alexander Zverev under pressure? In any case, time is slowly running out for him, as Germany’s greatest player of all time fears.
Tennis legend Boris Becker sees Alexander Zverev under pressure. In the run-up to the Australian Open in Melbourne (January 12th to 26th), the former professional explained in his podcast with Andrea Petković called “Becker Petkovic” that the 27-year-old had to win a Grand Slam within the next 18 months in order to improve his chances not to gamble away on a big title.
“There are three or four names who are 19, 20, 21 years old and are knocking on the door,” Becker explained his assessment. Jannik Sinner (23) and Carlos Alcaraz (21), who each won two Grand Slam tournaments last year, would also be “even stronger”. Becker, who won Wimbledon three times himself, emphasized: “Sascha has to have this Grand Slam victory in the next 18 months because it will be much more difficult after that.”
He attributed Zverev’s lack of a Grand Slam title primarily to mental aspects. Although last season was probably the best of his career for the German, he was still unable to deliver in crucial moments. “He lost the big matches,” criticized Becker. An example is the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where Zverev was eliminated despite a 2-0 set lead against Taylor Fritz. The final of the French Open was also a missed opportunity when Zverev lost to Carlos Alcaraz after leading 2-1.
Together with the former world-class player Petković, Becker discussed possible causes for Zverev’s setbacks. The 57-year-old referred to his coaching history, including well-known coaches such as Ivan Lendl, Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer. “There were already top people there. But they all left the boat after six months or nine months. And there were reasons for that,” said Becker.
Zverev’s parents are a decisive factor. “The father and mother are very dominant. And that’s right, it’s a family business. They did 99 percent of everything right, but that one percent is missing,” says Becker.
The first episode of the “Becker Petkovic” podcast has been available since Monday. New editions will be released on January 8th and 10th and during and after the Australian Open. The duo wants to continue to provide insights into the tennis world – and possibly make further predictions about Zverev’s career.