"Bad journalism" - Alexander Zverev lashes out after fake news of him accusing ex-coach Ivan Lendl goes viral
Alexander Zverev expressed frustration after fake news surfaced claiming he had recently criticized his former coach, Ivan Lendl. He slammed the reports as an example of "bad journalism" and accused the media of fabricating gossip to fill the off-season void.
Zverev and Lendl joined forces in 2018 but parted ways a year later due to underwhelming results and personal differences. During their split, the German even accused Lendl of focusing more on golf and his pet dog than coaching him.
"Sometimes I go on the court to practice for two hours but for half an hour, he will tell me how he played golf yesterday. In addition to that, Lendl has a new dog with whom he spends a lot of time," he said in 2019.
Recently, some publications circulated Alexander Zverev's old quotes about Ivan Lendl, presenting them as if they were part of a recent interview. The misrepresentation infuriated the tennis star, prompting him to address the issue on Instagram Stories, where he wrote:
"So, apparently I gave an interview about my coaching relationship with Ivan Lendl recently, which is not true. In fact, I have not spoken to anyone from the press since my foundation event in Tannenhof one day after Turin and I have not made any comments about my coaching relationship with Ivan Lendl in more than five years."
The 27-year-old added:
"I understand that everybody is very bored right now because it is the off-season and not much is happening except a lot of hard work, but this shows once again that some stories have to be completely made up by very bad journalism to keep readers interested in made up drama. See u all soon in Australia."
Alexander Zverev to kick off 2025 season at United Cup
Alexander Zverev is set to kick off the 2025 season at the United Cup, a mixed-gender team event starting on December 27. Held across Perth and Sydney, the tournament will serve as a key warm-up for the Australian Open.
Zverev will represent Team Germany at the United Cup, joining the likes of Laura Siegemund, Daniel Masur, Lena Papadakis, Tim Pütz, and Vivian Heisen. As the defending champions, Germany will look to replicate last year’s success when they defeated Poland to claim the title.
After that, the World No. 2 will shift his focus to Melbourne, aiming to capture his maiden Grand Slam title.