Italian Open 2024: Alexander Zverev’s Compatriot Boris Becker Sends Cryptic Message to the ATP for Stripping Off His Wins

Alexander Zverev battles past Alejandro Tabilo, hitting the nail on the head, to equal Boris Becker’s record and reach the final. As the German tennis player reached his 11th Masters final at the Italian Open, he became the second person after Becker to achieve this milestone since 1990. However, recently, the six-time Grand Slam champion dropped a cryptic message, sharing his frustration over the actual facts.

After the 27-year-old tennis star made his place in the finals, Becker took to his social media handle to share his thoughts over the discussions going around him about his record of reaching the Masters finals. While he appreciated Zverev’s dedication to reaching the final, on the other hand, he also talked about the statistics revolving around his record.

He wrote, “As I appreciate very much Sascha @AlexZverev reaching the final in Rome( in fact I will be rooting for him to win the title for the 2 time), I know tennis 🎾 was played before 1990 …meaning all titles won don’t count anymore?!? Just saying…” 

The world-ranked 5th-ranked tennis player who lifted the Rome trophy in 2017 battled back to tie Becker’s record for the most Masters finals by a German since the series began in 1990. However, he was unhappy with the number of master finals mentioned, but in reality, overall throughout his career, he has reached 22 master finals. However, 11 of them came before 1990, so they are apparently not counted in the master final statistics.

Even a lot of people were confused over the cryptic tweet, because of which some fans came forward and explained the situation. A fan commented, bringing the real stats into light, “I agree, you should be credited with 22 Masters finals not 11. Also the fact that you won 12 Masters titles.” 

On the other hand, another tennis fan emphasized the fact that it’s all because of the different media outlets that have looked after the 1990 series but left the data that was already there. “Numerous stats and tennis pages have stated that he made 11 Masters Finals during his career, but he actually made 22 Finals.” 

Subsequently, a few months ago, the fifth-ranked tennis player himself talked about including the six-time Grand Slam champion on his coaching team.

Alexander Zverev’s sentiments on having Boris Becker as a coach

Earlier in February, Zverev acknowledged that the former world No. 1’s inability to travel to major events is probably going to be a sticking issue, but he maintained that “there is always a chance” that he may go to Becker to become his coach.

When questioned about receiving coaching from Becker in an interview with the German news agency DPA, he responded, “There is always the chance, there always has been.” The German tennis player continued, saying that winning the major competitions would be the goal of bringing someone like Becker in. In addition, looking at the way he achieved success with Novak Djokovic, it won’t be wrong to say that he can help players achieve bigger victories on the court.

However, leaving everything aside, which side of the debate are you supporting over Becker’s message? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.