Boris Becker reacts to Alexander Zverev snub controversy after Roland Garros
Boris Becker has reacted to two controversies involving Alexander Zverev following his fellow German’s triumph at the 2026 French Open.
Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli in a five-set final at Roland Garros last week to secure his maiden Grand Slam title.
The world No 3 became the first German man to win the French Open since the Open Era of tennis began in 1968.
The 29-year-old is also the first German man to win a Grand Slam title since Becker claimed his sixth and final major at the 1996 Australian Open.
Following his triumph in Paris, Zverev was snubbed by prestigious French newspaper LâEquipe.
L’Equipe opted not to feature Zverev as the main story on the cover of its Monday edition after the German lifted La Coupe des Mousquetaires on Sunday evening.
This was the first time since 2005 that the menâs Roland Garros champion was not given the main spot on the front page of the sports publication.
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LâEquipe instead chose to feature handball team Metz Women as the main cover story following their victory over Gyor Audi ETO KC in the EHF Champions League Women.
Becker expressed his confusion in response to a tweet sharing the news of L’Equipe’s Zverev snub.
The former world No 1 wrote: “Why ? What did he (Zverev) do ?”
It then emerged that Zverev had cut short an interview with L’Equipe after his French Open win when he was asked about the allegations of domestic abuse made against him.
During the 2024 French Open, Zverev’s lawyers reached an out of court settlement in a domestic violence trial brought to a Berlin court after accusations made by Brenda Patea, his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child.
âThe decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence,â a Tiergarten District Court spokesperson told The Athletic. âOne decisive factor for the court decision was that the witness has expressed her wish to end the trial. The defendant agreed to the termination of the case.â
This came after Zverev faced allegations of domestic abuse from his former girlfriend Olga Sharypova in 2020.
Sharypova did not pursue charges against Zverev, and a 15-month investigation by the ATP Tour determined there was âinsufficient evidenceâ to substantiate the allegations.
Zverev has repeatedly denied all allegations made against him.
L’Equipe shared the following transcript of the exchange during Zverev’s interview.
Interviewer: In recent days, particularly in the press room, there has been a lot of discussion about how to handle your potential victory, given the domestic violence allegations against you several years ago…
Zverev: Hold on, first of all, this isn’t that kind of interview. Secondly, you know that the accusations have been proven false?
Interviewer: The question isn’t directly about the accusations.
Zverev: This is the second time you’ve asked me about them.
Interviewer: The question is: do you find it unfair that the media continues to talk about them?
Zverev’s agent: It’s a question about the accusations.
Interviewer: L’Equipe, for example, didn’t put you on its front page, hence the question.
Zverev: That wasn’t my decision. I did everything I could, and my innocence has been proven.
Interviewer: What are your plans for the next few weeks?
Zverev: (sighs) I don’t know. I think we should stop, it’s better that way.
Reacting to a tweet stating that Zverev ended the interview after being asked about the domestic abuse allegations, Becker wrote: “But why ?”
It is not clear whether Becker was questioning why Zverev was asked about this topic, or why his compatriot cut the interview short.
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