"If Roger Federer telling him didn't get to him, nothing ever will" - Fans slam Alexander Zverev's 'delusional' response to Boris Becker's criticism

Alexander Zverev came under fire from fans after the German took swipes at the legendary Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner, a former WTA No. 24. Zverev's swipes stemmed from Becker and Rittner criticizing him in the wake of his quarterfinal exit at the 2025 French Open.

The ATP No. 3 had established a set lead in the last eight at Roland Garros against Novak Djokovic. However, he squandered it, allowing the Serb back into the match by heavily relying on a defensive style of play. Djokovic capitalized ruthlessly on the situation, frequently leveraging precise drop shots to draw his opponent out from his comfort zone, which led to frequent errors from the German.

After the 24-time Major winner's 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 4-6 victory against Alexander Zverev, Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner turned critical towards their compatriot. The former ATP No. 1 and six-time singles Grand Slam champion suggested a change in Zverev's coaching setup could be the need of the hour, saying:

"At some point, you need new sounds and a new environment. It's the same in football; coaches don't usually stay with a club for ten years. His father and brother did an excellent job, but it wasn't good enough for the final step. Father wants him to play a lot, brother wants him to play every week, but the 28-year-old Zverev no longer wants to play every week."

Meanwhile, Rittner found fault with the three-time Major finalist blaming conditions at Roland Garros for his subpar display against Djokovic. The 52-year-old said:

"He explains it (loss to Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open) by saying it was 20 degrees Celsius in the first set, the game was faster, and he was able to pull his forehand more. But in sets two, three and four, there was no drop in temperature. He can't tell me that."

Recently, Alexander Zverev shared his scathing assessment of Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner's takes with reporters at a press conference at the Stuttgart Open (ATP 250, grass). The ATP No. 3 said:

"When things are going well for me, I always do everything right; when things are going badly for me, someone is always acting very, very clever. Unfortunately, Boris is one of them. Barbara Rittner is also one of them, who, for some reason, has such a strong opinion about my career. She never played tennis at that level. Firstly, I don't take her opinion seriously, and secondly, in my opinion, she has the wrong opinion."

Zverev in Stuttgart about getting criticism from Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner: "when things are going badly for me, someone is always acting very, very clever" byu/jovanmilic97 intennis

Several tennis fans on Reddit slammed the 24-time ATP Tour-level titlist for having a go at the former players. Some even suggested that Alexander Zverev has so far chosen to ignore advice from Roger Federer, who had criticized the German previously for being extremely "passive" during crucial junctures of important matches.

"If Federer telling him what everyone else is saying didn't get to him, nothing ever will. And im okay with Zverev being slamless," a fan wrote.

""I still see myself as a candidate to compete against the two guys at the top." I'm sorry, but this alone shows that he's totally delusional," commented another.

"Buddy when Federer says you play too f**king passive you take his advice seriously. When Becker says you need to play less you take his advice seriously. If you’re content with being top 5 your whole life without winning a slam then do the same s**t over and over again," another fan chimed in.

"Fragile ego," opined one.

"“Everyone is wrong except for me” attitude is the worst, especially when you haven’t done the one thing you want to achieve and others expect you to achieve," another added.

"Uuu his comment for Barbara was unnecessary😬," weighed in yet another fan.

"Against the best players in the world you have to take the initiative and play offensively" - Roger Federer's honest criticism of Alexander Zverev's style of play

Alexander Zverev at the 2025 French Open (Source: Getty)

Ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup, the legendary Roger Federer was asked about Alexander Zverev's inability to win a Major so far. In a brutally honest admission, the Swiss pointed out the holes in the German's defensive game.

"I'm not his coach, so I can speak freely. When I watch him play, I see someone how plays far too passively, far too defensively in the decisive moments. Against the best players in the world you have to take the initiative and play offensively," Federer said.

While Alexander Zverev is widely regarded as one of the best players to have not clinched a Grand Slam title, he also tends to face criticism over his performances in the three Major finals he has featured in. In two of those finals (2020 US Open and 2024 French Open), Zverev was in winning positions, but ultimately ended up losing. In the third (2025 Australian Open), he was thoroughly outplayed by Jannik Sinner.

Alexander Zverev, the No. 1 seed in Stuttgart, is slated to get his campaign at the grasscourt event started with a second-round match against the crafty Corentin Moutet.