Alexander Zverev slams ‘not true’ reporting of controversial Ivan Lendl comments
Alexander Zverev has slammed “not true” reporting of comments he made about former coach Ivan Lendl back in 2019.
World No 2 Zverev began working with tennis legend Lendl in August 2018, having split with previous coach Juan Carlos Ferrero earlier that season.
However, the German’s relationship with the eight-time Grand Slam singles champion was short-lived, with the pair parting ways in July 2019.
Shortly after the split, Zverev revealed his dissatisfaction with the former world No 1 in an interview with Die Welt, claiming the Czech was more interested in talking about golf or his dog.
“Sometimes we go to the training ground. Training lasts two hours. For half an hour he stands with his back to me and tells me how he played golf that morning,” said Zverev.
“He’s got a new dog and is showing him how to go to the toilet. That’s really his main topic. And golf.”
Though these comments were made and reported in July 2019, many new outlets mistakenly reported them as new statements from the two-time Grand Slam finalist across the weekend.
Taking to Instagram, the 27-year-old slammed “not true” reporting of his comments, and accused some media outlets of “bad journalism”.
He wrote: “So, apparently I gave an interview about my coaching relationship with Ivan Lendl recently, which is not true.
“In fact, I have not spoken to anyone from the press since my foundation event in Tannenhof one day after Turin and I have not made any comments about my coaching relationship with Ivan Lendl in more than five years.
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“I understand that everybody is very bored right now because it is the off-season and not much is happening except a lot of hard work, but this shows once again that some stories have to be completely made up by very bad journalism to keep readers interested in made up drama…
“See u all soon in Australia.”
Zverev will next be in action at the United Cup, where he will anchor the German team looking to successfully defend the title the nation won at the start of 2024.
He heads into 2025 as the second-ranked ATP player following a season that saw him win Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Paris, and reach the final of the French Open.
He is currently predominantly coached by his father, Alexander Zverev Sr.
Meanwhile, Lendl—who famously coached Andy Murray to huge success in the mid-2010s—has returned to the ATP Tour as a coach.
The Czech has begun coaching world No 16 Hubert Hurkacz ahead of 2025, joining forces with former Olympic gold medallist Nicolas Massu to work with the Polish No 1.
