Alexander Zverev, the German tennis sensation, is contemplating a coaching partnership with Boris Becker, but potential travel hurdles loom due to Becker’s legal constraints post-prison time.
Becker, currently a free agent after parting ways with Holger Rune, cited time constraints as the primary reason for their split, expressing regret over not being able to dedicate sufficient time to Rune due to personal and professional commitments.
“We started this partnership with the initial goal to reach the ATP Finals end of last year but moving forward I realised that in order for this to be successful, I would need to be available for Holger much more than I can,” explained Becker.
Zverev, who has been under the guidance of his father, Alexander Zverev Snr, since his split with Sergi Bruguera last year, expressed openness to the idea of Becker coaching him. “There is always the chance, there always has been,” he stated.
However, Zverev acknowledged the logistical challenge posed by Becker’s inability to travel to most Grand Slam tournaments due to legal restrictions. “If you think about bringing in someone like Boris, it’s to win the big tournaments. And of course the coach has to be there at the big tournaments,” Zverev noted.
Despite this, Zverev highlighted the wealth of experience that Becker, particularly his coaching tenure with Novak Djokovic, could offer. “Simply looking into their brains and seeing what they think about and how they have acted in such situations can always help,” Zverev emphasized.
At 26, Zverev remains open to learning and evolving, stating, “You can always learn something new, I’m not going to be stubborn and say: ‘I know everything’.” As talks continue, Zverev weighs the potential benefits of a coaching alliance with Becker against the practical challenges it may present.