Zverev Warned He Needs To Win First Grand Slam 'In Next 18 Months' By Becker
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German tennis legend Boris Becker has told Alexander Zverev that his chances of winning a Grand Slam will significantly decrease if he does not do so within the next 18 months.
Zverev has enjoyed an outstanding career. He is the current world No. 2, won the gold medal in the men's singles at the Tokyo Olympics, triumphed twice at the ATP Finals, and has multiple Masters 1000 titles to his name.
However, the 27-year-old has yet to claim a Grand Slam title. Zverev was one set away from doing so in the 2020 US Open final against Dominic Thiem, but the Austrian recovered from a two-set deficit to reign supreme at Flushing Meadows.
The German came close once again at last year's French Open. He led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to one before the 21-year-old dominated the final two sets, snatching Zverev's dream away from him again.
Despite Zverev finishing last season as the world No. 2, the Olympic gold medalist admits Alcaraz is ahead of him because of the Spaniard's Grand Slam success. World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner is also ahead of him.
The reasons for Zverev's failure to win a Grand Slam are open to interpretation. 20-time Major champion Roger Federer thinks he is too passive during essential moments and needs to be braver to triumph on the biggest stages.
Another reason could be fatigue during significant matches. While announcing the rehiring of his former fitness coach, Zverev admitted tiredness contributed to his loss to Alcaraz in the French Open final.
Others point to his lack of a coach with experience winning Grand Slams. Aside from a short and unsuccessful period with Ivan Lendl, Zverev has worked with his father, who cannot relate to the pressure of competing on the biggest tennis stages.
Becker could be a good choice as a coach for Zverev. The six-time Grand Slam champion might have the experience to help the world No. 2, but also connect better than Lendl did because they are both Germans.
Zverev did not rule out Becker becoming his coach. However, he said the three-time Wimbledon champion would have to answer whether he could commit to traveling during the season, which Becker could not do during a short-lived partnership with Holger Rune.
If it does happen, Becker will want to become Zverev's coach soon because the tennis legend mentioned in a podcast with Andrea Petkovic that he believes his compatriot needs to win a Grand Slam in the next 18 months.
"He is now at an age where he has to do it. For me, Sascha has to win the grand slam title he longs for in the next 18 months, because otherwise it will be much more difficult than it is now."
The six-time Grand Slam winner also hinted that Zverev should hire a coach with experience in winning major titles but did not name himself for the role.
"The father is already very dominant. And the mother is dominant. It's a family business. They did everything 99 per cent right. But that one per cent is missing."
