Alexander Zverev has reportedly decided to be coached by Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, after his recent Wimbledon upset. Tennis legend Boris Becker has expressed his honest opinions about Zverev’s potential decision.
Zverev’s Wimbledon campaign did not turn out as expected, as the German experienced a shocking upset in the tournament’s first round. He was bested by Arthur Rinderknech with a score of 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4. Shortly after this early exit, he was seen training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca with Toni alongside him.
This video on X raised speculations about Alexander Zverev joining forces with Nadal’s uncle after his Wimbledon heartbreak. However, confirmed news is yet to be released from the player. This potential partnership captured the attention of Becker, who voiced his feelings about it in one of the recent episodes of his podcast with Andrea Petkova. Stating it was the right decision from Zverev’s end, Becker said:
Trending
"Both have to confirm that first. 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."
Following his Wimbledon loss, Alexander Zverev withdrew from the Swiss Open Gstaad and is expected to return to the court on July 26 for the Canadian Open.
Alexander Zverev opened up about his mental struggles after his early Wimbledon 2025 exit
After facing a shocking defeat against Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of Wimbledon, Alexander Zverev sat for a post-match press conference, where he opened up about his mental struggles on and outside of the tennis court. Instead of discussing his loss, the German revealed the grave mental health issues he has been dealing with for a long time.
He revealed that he has been lacking joy in everything he does and highlighted that it is not specific to tennis. Opening up about feeling 'very alone,' he said (as quoted by TNT Sports):
"I've never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It's not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well. I don't think tennis is the problem right now for me. It's something else that I have to find within me at the moment. But something within me has to change, which is not necessarily on the tennis court."
"It's funny, I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. It's difficult to find joy outside the tennis court for me at the moment. It's not an excuse or anything. I think Arthur deserved to win. It's something I've felt for the past few months. Again, I just feel generally very, very alone and very lonely. I don't know. Just never felt that way before," he added.
Alexander Zverev opened his 2025 season by competing at the Australian Open, where he delivered a set of staunch performances and reached the finals. Here, he locked horns with Jannik Sinner, who eventually claimed the title with a score of 6-3, 7-6(7), 6-3. In this season so far, the German star has bagged only one title at the BMW Open by beating Ben Shelton.
