Alexander Zverev recently received a message from the former tennis player Boris Becker for revealing his emotional status during the Wimbledon press conference. The German athlete is currently gearing up for the upcoming events of the 2025 tennis season.
Zverev was last seen in action at Wimbledon, where he experienced an early exit as his hopes of winning the Grand Slam were dashed by Arthur Rinderknech in the first round. The latter won the first, third, and fifth sets of the match to claim the win of 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, against the German. Following this loss, Zverev shared his mental health status in the post-match press conference, revealing that he felt ‘alone’ and ’empty’ after his defeat.
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Days after this statement by the 28-year-old, the German former tennis player, Becker, shed light on it during the 'Boris Becker Unplugged' session held on the sidelines of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games. Calling Zverev his 'sporting foster son,' he advised him not to open his heart in the media after a first-round loss in a Grand Slam tournament.
“Alexander Zverev is a kind of sporting foster son for me; I have a lot of empathy for him. If I had been his coach, I would have advised him not to reveal such insights about his mental state in the Wimbledon press conference. Ideally, you don’t open your heart when you are eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament," said Becker.
Showcasing confidence in him, the 57-year-old said:
"Possibly it was the necessary revelation that he needed. I am convinced that he will still win his Grand Slam and can become number one at some point," he added.
Boris Becker recently made his feelings known about Zverev joining forces with Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni Nadal after his Wimbledon upset.
What did Alexander Zverev confess about his mental health after the Wimbledon loss?
After a shocking exit in the first round of Wimbledon 2025 against Arthur Rinderknech, Alexander Zverev opened up about his mental health in the post-match press conference. He blamed his negative mental state and the struggles on his underwhelming performance at the Grand Slam, revealing that he has been struggling since the Australian Open. Opening up about feeling alone, he said:
"I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle. Mentally, I’ve been saying that I’ve struggled since after the Australian Open. Just don’t know. Trying to find ways to get out of this hole. I keep finding myself back in it. I feel generally speaking quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice," Alexander Zverev said.
He further opened up about the need for seeking therapy, adding:
"Maybe. Maybe for the first time in my life I’ll probably need it. I’ve been through a lot of difficulties in the media and in life generally. I’ve never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy in everything that I do. It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis as well."
Alexander Zverev has won only the BMW Open by Bitpanda title this year so far after besting Ben Shelton in the finals. However, he did reach the final rounds of the Australian Open and the Boss Open but fell short of claiming victory in both tournaments.
