Boris Becker explains why Jannik Sinner can no longer be considered the favourite for Wimbledon
After a Roland Garros brimming with shocks and surprises, the tennis world now turns its attention toward Wimbledon and the grass court swing.
Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva claimed the Roland Garros titles, with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Aryna Sabalenka suffering shock defeats.
Sinner was dumped out of the second round of Roland Garros in one of the biggest shocks of the tournament and he will not be in competitive action until Wimbledon.
Zverev’s victory in Paris earned him his first Grand Slam title at the age of 29, but Boris Becker has predicted that it won’t be the German’s last major trophy.
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Speaking to Eurosport, Becker said: “For me, Zverev has been one of the ‘Big Three’ since Sunday evening, along with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. There is no reason for me why he shouldn’t win more Grand Slams – even if Sinner and Alcaraz are also playing.
“He has the potential, and at 29, he’s also the age to realize it in the next two or three years. My advice to him at 29 is: ‘Win everything you can, because at some point, your time will be up.’ It doesn’t end after the first Grand Slam title. It’s about new goals he has to set for himself.
“Will he become a second Dominic Thiem and ‘only’ win one Grand Slam? He has what it takes for more – even to be number one in the world rankings, because he has been playing consistently well for many months.”
Becker is so confident about Zverev’s potential to claim another Grand Slam, he has even made him favourite to lift the Wimbledon title over Sinner.
“Is he suddenly the favorite at Wimbledon? For me, yes,” he boldy predicted. “Alcaraz is injured, and with Sinner, no one knows how or when he’ll return.
“Sascha has the serve for grass-court tennis; with that serve, you’re already in the semifinals. Of course, he has to adapt. If he’s as far back on the return at Wimbledon as he was in Paris, it won’t work. But he has what it takes to triumph at Wimbledon, too.”
It’s an especially left-field choice from Becker as Zverev has never shown his best tennis at Wimbledon.
He has only ever reached as far as the fourth round of the competition, which has happened on three occasions. He has been knocked out at that stage in 2017, 2021, and 2024.
At last year’s event, Zverev was dumped out of the first round of the Grand Slam at the hands of Arthur Rinderknech in four set.
If Zverev does lift the title as Becker predicts, he will break new ground in his career from the last eight onwards.
