Alexander Zverev ‘rejected’ by Toni Nadal as Boris Becker is left ‘a little worried’
Alexander Zverev’s search for a new coach continues as the legendary Toni Nadal has reportedly turned him down while tennis great Boris Becker admits he is “a little worried about what’s going to happen next”.
After finishing runner-up to Jannik Sinner at this year’s Australian Open, many thought Zverev would be a threat to the Italian and Carlos Alcaraz in terms of the Grand Slams and the No 1 ranking for the rest of the season.
However, he has fallen away badly as he failed to win any of the remaining Grand Slams and has also failed to ATP Masters 1000 tournament so far this year with his only trophy coming at the ATP 500 Bavarian Championships in April.
The German turned to Nadal – the former coach and uncle of the great Rafael Nadal – in an attempt to turn his form around as he worked with the Spaniard at the Rafa Nadal Academy midway through the season.
Although ‘Uncle Toni’ made it clear that he would not be able to commit to working with Zverev in the short term, the world No 3 was hoping to convince him to join his set-up when time allows.
However, when asked about working with Zverev, Nadal told RTL/ntv and sport.de: “He wanted that. He asked me if I would like to work with him, but I said, ‘I’m no longer a coach, I’m not a tennis coach anymore. I have a different job.'”
So What Is Wrong With Zverev?
After his run to the Australian Open final, Zverev also made it to the quarter-final at Roland Garros, but then slumped to a first-round exit at Wimbledon and lost in the third round at the US Open.
Nadal was asked about Zverev’s struggles and replied: “Today, in my opinion, he’s a little bit passive sometimes.”
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And Nadal is not the only one who has thoughts on the German’s woes, as former world No 1 Becker admitted he expected more from the 28-year-old this year.
“I thought in the summer, after his break after Wimbledon, that his performance would improve,” the six-time Grand Slam winner said on the “Becker Pektovic” podcast: “I thought he was knocking on the door of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz; he’s the third force in world tennis. But that’s Novak Djokovic now, at 38. And Sascha is really chasing his form.”
Zverev’s father, Alexander Zverev Sr remains part of his coaching set-up while his brother Mischa is part of his management team, but the 28-year-old has made it clear that he is looking for a new mentor to take him to the next level.
“Nothing new is happening in his box either. There’s his father, there’s his brother, there are the same faces as for years and years,” Becker said.
The three-time Wimbledon champion added: “If things were going well, I’d be the first to congratulate him and say: ‘We now have a superstar!’ But I’m a little worried about what’s going to happen next.”
