Alexander Zverev will be number one – and Boris Becker is his biggest fan again

Alexander Zverev will be number one – and Boris Becker is once again his biggest fan The German tennis legend has accompanied Zverev very closely. He is both a supporter and a sharp critic. With the recent successes of the 29-year-old, their ambivalent relationship is changing once again. "Congratulations, Sascha!!!", Boris Becker wrote on X on October 6, just a few hours after the tennis player and world-ranking player Jannik Sinner announced the end of their season due to injuries. Mathematically, Alexander "Sascha" Zverev's rise was not yet certain at that time. Only six days later, after Carlos Alcaraz's loss in the third round of the Masters tournament in Shanghai, it was established: Zverev will be number one in the world as the 30th player in history – 35 years after Becker – and at the same time the first German man to end a season at the top of the world rankings. He will officially be there at the very least in early November. For almost a decade, Becker has hovered over Zverev's career like the personified standard for how large the footsteps of a German tennis star can be. Becker often changed roles: once a proud supporter, then a paternal mentor, and then a sharp critic. Currently, Becker plays the role of Zverev's defender. The claim that he has only benefited recently from the absence of his fiercest competitors was described by him in his podcast with Andrea Petkovic as "total nonsense". The status as number one is "highly deserved". Almost a year ago, Becker called Zverev a "worried child", saw him stagnate, and criticized his environment. Zverev countered that Becker was seeking attention through him; his opinion was "sweet" to him. Their relationship changed repeatedly as a result of Zverev's sporting development – and Becker's public judgment about it. Zverev in the Shadow of Nostalgia Becker likes to tell how he got to know the young "Sascha". First, he discovered his older brother Mischa and supported him. At a meeting, he then saw the five-year-old Alexander. Depending on Becker's story, the father or Mischa praised that the little one still had much greater potential: even that of a future number one. When Becker took responsibility for men's tennis in the German Tennis Federation from 2017, the exchange with Zverev intensified further. Becker stepped into the role of mentor, often accompanied him to tournaments. But he gave advice privately, not publicly, Becker said then on Eurosport. That changed, of course. Becker increasingly appeared as a TV expert in parallel. In 2017, Becker called the 20-year-old Zverev in "Sport Bild" "one of the best of the next generation by inclination". At the same time, he warned: "Everything can still go wrong." He had to win something, "and winning means: Grand Slams". Becker evolved from supporter to demanding. But Becker's shadow made Zverev's remarkable rise seem as if he were standing still. At 17, Zverev reached the semi-finals in his home tournament in Hamburg; Becker had won Wimbledon at the same age. At 23, Becker was a five-time major winner and world-ranking player. Zverev had achieved three Masters 1000 titles and the ATP Finals, but not yet a major final. The heavy legacy of more powerful predecessors is not an isolated case in German sports. In Formula 1, Sebastian Vettel was always measured against Michael Schumacher. Angelique Kerber remained, despite three major wins, "only" the most successful tennis player since Steffi Graf. It is a competition of eras – and with nostalgia. The first Wimbledon triumph of "Bobbele" was watched by more than 11 million viewers on German television in 1985. Becker was 17, emotional, relatable – and practically became the folk hero overnight. His success fueled the tennis boom in the country. Zverev never quite fit into this mold of the longed-for successor. In Germany, he early on carried the image of being arrogant and cool. Becker advised him to open up more to his compatriots. Later, the accusations of domestic violence made by Zverev and the criminal proceedings against him under a fine further complicated the identification with him. Becker's most serious private and legal crises followed only after his career, when the folk hero myth of "Bobbele" had long been entangled. Only the great talent, then the "worried child" Becker expressed himself at every stage of Zverev's career – about the many ups and downs – and the longer Zverev did not win a major title, the more impatient he sounded. In early 2020, he already demanded a new coach in the "FAZ": Zverev needed to hear "new voices". As long as his father was responsible for the training, it would always be in his head. It seemed as if Becker wanted to polish the "diamond", as he called Zverev, himself. He was repeatedly brought into the role of coach. Before the US Open 2020, Becker called Zverev the German "worried child" because of his serve problems. During the tournament, he also criticized his passive playing style. Zverev reached his first major final there but lost against Dominic Thiem, despite a two-set lead. Later, Becker warned that the younger ones would pass him by. In 2024, he lost the final at Roland Garros, and in early 2025 at the Australian Open. The personal relationship between the two seemed to remain intact despite the criticism for a long time. In April 2025, Becker appeared with Zverev's training in Monte Carlo. Zverev spoke to Sky of a "super connection". Becker called himself "friend of the house" and "part of the inner circle"; Zverev was for him a kind of "sporting stepson". However, he excluded the role of coach; he remained the paternal friend. Soon, however, the mood shifted. After Zverev's exit from the French Open, Becker again criticized his family team, saying they had achieved a lot, but for the final step, something had to change. A few days later, Zverev countered. His personal conversations with Becker stood in stark contrast to his public statements. Becker put "another mask" on in front of the camera. Zverev felt exasperated by Becker's double role as a family friend and TV expert. Relationship status: "a bit cooler", as Becker put it. And yet, he is still Zverev's biggest fan in his heart. Zverev redeems himself – and Becker apparently so too When Zverev finally achieved a major tournament in the summer in Paris after all these years, his gaze first went to his cheering father in the box. He had managed it in his own way, with the family by his side. Becker also seemed redeemed. "I am very proud of him," he said as co-commentator for Eurosport. And: "For that he worked so hard – the whole family!" In an interview on YouTube, Zverev replied some time later to the rapprochement, but nitpicked that Becker had a penchant for big stories. Then he added: "I love Boris." After Zverev's second major title at the US Open in September, Becker demonstratively put himself forward to Zverev. He called the relativization of his performance due to the seemingly easy path through the bracket a "bottomless impudence" and "incredible disrespect". He reacted similarly allergically to the objections against Zverev's leap to the top. Tennis experts and online comment sections speak of the weakest number one in a long time; Zverev lost all five duels with Sinner this year. Precisely Becker, who for years emphasized what Zverev still lacked, now defends him forcefully. However, the distance between the two remains large: Becker has six major titles, including three Wimbledon. Zverev has two. Plus Olympic gold, two ATP final titles, seven Masters titles. Becker is and remains the bigger figure of the German Open Era. But Zverev is catching up to him in terms of his achievements more than many would have bet. What can Zverev achieve at 29 in his strongest career phase? By the end of the year, he could catch up with Becker with a victory at the ATP Finals in Turin. That he surpasses him in a total of twelve weeks as number one also seems possible given the question marks surrounding Sinner's return in 2027. If this record from Becker also falls, he will probably be among the first to congratulate. It is hard to say whether he or Zverev will be more pleased about it.