Boris Becker reacts after Alexander Zverev spotted training with Toni Nadal
Boris Becker has offered a positive assessment of Alexander Zverev’s potential partnership with Toni Nadal after the two were spotted working together.
Footage emerged of world No 3 Zverev and legendary coach Nadal, who coached nephew Rafael to 16 of his 22 Grand Slam titles, working together at the Rafa Nadal Academy earlier this week.
The 28-year-old has spent most of his career coached by his father, Alexander Snr, with his older brother, Mischa, also taking a role in his team in recent years.
Zverev’s previous relationships with high-profile coaches such as Ivan Lendl, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and David Ferrer have never emerged into long-term partnerships.
And, after his French Open quarter-final defeat to Novak Djokovic in June, six-time Grand Slam champion Becker was among those to question his compatriot’s coaching outlook.
Defeat at Roland Garros was followed by a shock round-one exit for Zverev at Wimbledon, beaten in five sets by Arthur Rinderknech inside Centre Court.
Speaking after the match, the three-time Grand Slam finalist admitted to feeling “very lonely” in recent months, and admitted that a rebuild could require a new coach.
“Possibly,” responded Zverev, when asked about bring a different coach in.
“It’s a different feeling right now for me. I can’t speak for the moment. But I think I’ll have answers by Canada [Canadian Open].
“It’s not a feeling on a tennis court, it’s just a life feeling in general. As I said, I never felt this way before. I don’t know. It’s difficult to find joy outside the tennis court for me at the moment.”
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Having withdrawn from the Swiss Open in Gstaad this week, Zverev is likely to return to action at the Canadian Open, where he lifted the title back in 2017.
And, though there has been no official confirmation of a partnership between Zverev and ‘Uncle Toni’, former world No 1 Becker believes it could prove a positive step forward.
“Both have to confirm that first,” said Becker, speaking on his podcast Becker Petkovic.
“But if it’s true that Toni Nadal is Sascha Zverev’s new coach, he’s done everything right. Because what does that mean?
“Toni is also Rafael Nadal’s coach for many years. Has the tennis academy in Mallorca, in Manacor, to be exact. That means you can always train on hard court, on clay.
“And what Toni also has, he also knows how to win Grand Slams.”
Nadal’s knowledge of winning Grand Slam titles with his nephew Rafa could be of significant value for Zverev, whom many considered to be the greatest-ever player without a major.
The world No 3 was beaten by Jannik Sinner in the final of the Australian Open in January, after losing the 2024 French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, and the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem.
Zverev has won titles at every other level, including Olympic gold, seven Masters 1000 titles, and two ATP Finals titles.
