"I lost to Novak Djokovic" - Alexander Zverev issues blunt response to Boris Becker's criticism after French Open exit

Alexander Zverev recently responded to Boris Becker's criticism of his performance in the French Open quarterfinals. The German lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. The Serb delivered an exceptional performance and claimed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Following his loss at the French Open, Zverev received sharp criticism from former tennis star Becker. The six-time Grand Slam winner said Zverev should stop training under his father, as he needs a change of environment to improve his performance.

"You get the impression that he plays in the same rut against the top players and hopes that the result will be good. The father and brother did a great job, but it wasn't good enough for the last step," said Becker (as quoted by Blue News).

Zverev responded bluntly, stating that he lost to Novak Djokovic, one of the best players, and not to 250th-ranked Hans Peter. He also spoke about his relationship with Becker, stating:

"I still see myself as a candidate to compete against the two guys up there. I lost to Djokovic, not to Hans Peter, who is ranked 250 in the world.I also had a lot of contact with Boris before he made that statement. I still have massive respect for him. I will always listen to what he has to say, but I don't always have to agree," said Alexander Zverev in the press conference ahead of Stuttgart Open.

Zverev is preparing to compete at the Stuttgart Open, which is slated to commence on Wednesday, June 11.

Alexander Zverev opened up about his loss at the French Open

In the post-match press conference, Alexander Zverev made his feelings known about the French Open, stating the reason behind his loss. The German revealed that the weather affected his performance as it was too cold. He said (as quoted by GB News):

"It was very, very cold. So my serve speed was not very high.Again, as I said, I think when the sun completely went down, it was difficult for me to get through the court a little bit. It was difficult for me to find, you know, kind of ways to be dominant in the rally, because my serve was neutralised very well by him."

"Then also, I felt like my groundstrokes, every time I tried to be aggressive, I was not really doing much. It was difficult for me to find a solution, I think, in the cold conditions," Zverev added.

Alexander Zverev commenced his 2025 season by competing at the Australian Open, where he reached the final but fell short of claiming the title after losing to Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-6(7), 6-3. The German has claimed only one title this season so far, after he bested Ben Shelton in the BMW Open by Bitpanda.