Boris Becker has revealed he ‘cried’ watching Alexander Zverev’s emotional press conference at Wimbledon and reached out to the world number three to ‘check everything was okay’.
Zverev gave an emotional press conference following his gruelling five-set first-round defeat to Arthur Rinderknech at the All England Club.
The 28-year-old, who has reached three Grand Slam finals, said he felt ‘very alone’ and ’empty’ on and off the tennis court.
‘I feel very alone out there at times,’ Zverev said. ‘I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open.
‘I’m trying to find ways, trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it.
‘I don’t know. I feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice.’
Pressed on his struggles, Zverev added: ‘I’ve never felt this empty before.
‘Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis as well.’
Six-time Grand Slam champion Becker watched the press conference live and says he was reduced to tears by Zverev’s comments.
Becker was even compelled to reach out to his compatriot ‘straight away’ and offer his support.
‘I watched the press conference live and I cried,’ he said the Becker Petkovic podcast.
‘A person opened up and said, “I have problems, I have mental problems, help me. I don’t have anyone around me except my daughter, who is four years old, with whom I like to spend time, where I laugh and smile”.
‘This was a person who revealed himself and that’s why, for the first time, I’m a little worried about his mental health. He can play tennis, he’ll win tournaments, he’ll lose a few, but how is he doing personally?
‘And that’s a very important point for the rest of your life, because at some point your career will be over and it will be great.
‘But how are you then? How are you as a person? What is your environment? Where is your anchor that catches you? Where is your bed? Right, the one where you can lie down, where you can take care of it emotionally…
‘I have never seen him so honest, he basically revealed himself, let his emotions simmer and I found it incredibly sad.
‘Of course I contacted him straight away and checked everything was okay, he gave me the thumbs up and so on.’
While Zverev has reached three Grand Slam finals – losing them all – he has never got past the fourth round at Wimbledon.
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