Alexander Zverev lashes out at Boris Becker after his comment on tennis ace and his family
Alexander Zverev has responded to Boris Becker calling him a "problem child" by accusing his fellow German of "looking for attention" with these recent comments
Alexander Zverev has hit back at Boris Becker after the retired six-time Major winner labelled him a "problem child". The world number three has won only one title this year, the Munich Open, and went out in the first round at Wimbledon.
Zverev, 28, accused Becker of "looking for attention" by publicly criticising him. In an episode of his podcast with fellow retired German pro Andrea Petkovic, Becker admitted he got "a bit of a headache" when discussing Zverev's year.
He also suggested that the three-time Grand Slam finalist should consider adding a fresh face to his team, as there are "always the same faces" in his box, particularly his father, Alexander Senior, who has been coaching Zverev since before he became a professional.
“Nothing is happening in his box either," Becker said. "There's his father and his brother.
"They're the same faces for years and years. If things were going well, I'd be the first to congratulate him and say: 'We have a superstar now!'. But I'm a bit worried about what comes next."
However, Zverev is not taking it lying down, and he has now told Bild that he "doesn't care" what Becker thinks anymore. "I think he's relatively unconcerned about me, to be honest," the two-time ATP Finals champion said.
"I think he's looking for a bit of attention, and he gets it through me. Unfortunately, that's the case. But I don't care anymore.
"Everything will work out. I'm full of confidence that I'll find my form again and play good tennis again."
Zverev, the second seed at this week's ATP 500 event in Vienna, recently lost to Taylor Fritz inside an hour at the Six Kings Slam, a lucrative three-day exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the disappointing loss, Zverev was well compensated to the tune of £1.1million for his short stint in Riyadh, pocketing £18,997 for every minute he was on court.
The German also experienced an unexpected third-round defeat at the Shanghai Masters, losing to Arthur Rinderknech, who made it to the final. Rinderknech had previously shocked Zverev in the first round of Wimbledon earlier this summer.
He has attributed his recent slump in form to injuries and disclosed that he had two injections to alleviate a back issue following the US Open. Earlier this month in Shanghai, Zverev confessed: "It seems like I can't catch a break this year.
"It's been a rough year from a physical standpoint. We just talked about it in the locker room, and the last time I played a tournament pain-free was the Australian Open."
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