Ivan Lendl Quits Alexander Zverev Coaching Team

Next-gen star, Alexander Zverev, who is striving to get back his form has been dealing with several off-court issues since the beginning of the season, which certainly lies behind his struggles on the court.

More problems show up for the German as he ends his partnership with his mentor and coach, Ivan Lendl. Ivan Lendl joined Alexander Zverev’s team in August 2018. He won the ATP World Tour Finals in November, working under the Czech-American coach. However, the 22-year-old could manage to win only one event in the 2019 season in Geneva.

The two parted their ways days after Alexander Zverev said that he expects more ‘attention and commitment’ from Ivan Lendl. The former world no. 1 revealed the reason for ending his relationship with the world no. 5 as he suggested that Zverev’s off-court issues make it difficult to work with him.

Ivan Lendl stated, “I have a lot of belief in Sascha, who is still very young. I think that one day he may become a great player but currently, he has some off-court issues that make it difficult to work in a way that is consistent with my philosophy.”

Ivan Lendl also replied to Zverev’s statement of expecting him to focus more on tennis. The 59-year-old said in a statement, “When it comes to work ethic I am quite comfortable that my record speaks for itself.” 

There were rumors around that Boris Becker will join Alexander Zverev as his next coach. However, the German coach cleared the air as he revealed that it is difficult for him to travel for 30 weeks as a coach.

He said in a statement in Hamburg, “I’m always by his (Zverev) side, and if he asks me, I’ll always tell him my honest opinion. But I can’t imagine traveling around the world as a tennis coach for 30 weeks again.”

Earlier, Boris Becker had suggested that the relationship between Zverev and Ivan was affected by Sascha’s clash against Apey.

He commented during a recent press conference in Hamburg, “They (Zverev and Lendl) won the Tour finals, and then something broke between them. I’m not going into details, but something happened, and it had something to do with Apey.”

This is not the first time when Alexander Zverev has problems with his coach. In 2018, Zverev was involved in another abrupt split with his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. The relationship did not end in good terms as the Spaniard questioned Zverev’s work-ethic. Ferrero criticized Sascha for not respecting the guidelines anymore. He also suggested that the 22-year-old was frequently late for his training sessions.

Alexander Zverev is currently involved in legal issues with his former manager Patricio Apey. He has also broken up with his girlfriend, Olga Sharypova. Furthermore, Zverev’s father, who has been managing him was missing in action in recent weeks for health reasons.

He is trying to find back his confidence that he has lost during the last few months as he reached the quarterfinals of the on-going Hamburg Open.