Alexander Zverev was beaten in the first round at Wimbledon before opening up on his struggles away from the court, with Boris Becker questioning his decision to do so
German tennis legend Boris Becker has claimed Alexander Zverev made an error in judgement when discussing his mental health struggles following his shock first-round exit at Wimbledon. Zverev, 28, has long been earmarked as a future Grand Slam champion but he has been plagued by controversy.
Whilst he has reached the final of every major tournament apart from SW19, the world No. 3 has yet to fulfil the lofty expectations many had predicted for him. Zverev’s dreams of claiming a maiden major at Wimbledon were crushed in the opening round this summer when he suffered defeat to Arthur Rinderknech.
Following the loss, he spoke candidly about his recent difficulties and garnered backing from numerous supporters. Nevertheless, Becker, a three-time Wimbledon winner, believes that Zverev wasn’t given proper guidance by his entourage and should have kept his private torment under wraps.
“Alexander Zverev is like an adopted son to me in the sports world; I feel a lot of empathy for him,” Becker, 57, said via Tennis365. “If I had been his coach, I would have advised him not to disclose that information about his mental state in the Wimbledon press conference. The ideal thing is not to open up to the world when one is eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam.”
Becker reinforced his faith that Zverev can recapture his previous form however, adding: “Perhaps it was the revelation he needed. I am convinced that he will win his Grand Slam and that he can become number one at some point. Becoming number one is challenging, but staying number one is the most difficult thing in the world.”
Following his surprising departure at the All England Club, Zverev left the tennis world stunned with his frank admission. “I’ve never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do,” he said.
“It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well. I don’t think tennis is the problem right now for me. It’s something else that I have to find within me at the moment. But something within me has to change, which is not necessarily on the tennis court.
“It’s funny, I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. It’s difficult to find joy outside the tennis court for me at the moment.
“It’s not an excuse or anything. I think Arthur deserved to win. It’s something I’ve felt for the past few months. Again, I just feel generally very, very alone and very lonely. I don’t know. Just never felt that way before.”
Beyond the court, Zverev has found himself embroiled in scandal. He faced domestic abuse allegations from his ex-girlfriend. Zverev refuted the accusations and challenged the order, leading to a public trial that was subsequently dropped.
“I’ve been through a lot of difficulties. I’ve been through a lot of difficulties in the media. I’ve been through a lot of difficulties in life generally,” he added following his defeat at Wimbledon. “It’s just not there right now for me, which, again, is the first time in my life, which I’m feeling.”
Zverev is set to compete next at the Canadian Open, where he will go head-to-head with Australian Adam Walton in Tuesday’s round of 64.