German tennis legend Boris Becker is concerned about Alexander Zverev's current form and has sharply criticized the world number three's recent performances. "World class looks different.
German tennis legend Boris Becker is concerned about Alexander Zverev's current form and has sharply criticized the world number three's recent performances.
"World class looks different. I really thought he was knocking on the door of (Jannik) Sinner and (Carlos) Alcaraz," Becker said in a joint podcast with former women's player Andrea Petkovic.
The 57-year-old also reiterated his criticism that Zverev is resistant to change in his environment.
"Nothing new is happening in his box either. There's his father, there's his brother - the same faces as always," Becker complained.
Zverev recently lost in the quarter-finals of the ATP event in Beijing and was knocked out in the third round of the Shanghai Masters.
"My year has been terrible, I'm just playing terrible tennis all round," said Zverev, who has also been plagued by back problems for some time.
He has also criticized what he sees as increasingly slow surfaces, but Becker said that perhaps this is just him "distracting himself from his own weaknesses.
"I don't like any of that. He needs to focus on himself. At the moment, he's taking two steps back," Becker said.
This week, Zverev is participating in the Six King Slam on October 15-18, an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia, which also features top stars Alcaraz and Sinner.
"There's a lot of money (involved), but no points and no respect from the tennis world," Becker said about the tournament.
Zverev will then head to the Paris Masters which starts on October 27 and where he will be under pressure as the defending champion.
"He's a problem child right now. I really get a bit of a headache when I think about Sascha Zverev. He needs to turn things around again for the last two or three tournaments of the year," Becker demanded.
Category: General Sports
