"Both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev are coached by their fathers, I have too much respect to suggest anything else" - Boris Becker
Boris Becker has weighed in on whether Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev would benefit from making changes to their respective coaching teams.
Tsitsipas' father Apostolos has served as the Greek's primary coach since the World No. 5 began to find success in junior tennis as a pre-teen. In the lead-up to the 2023 French Open, the Greek star split with co-coach Mark Philippoussis as he wanted only one coach, his father, to provide the necessary guidance.
"It's never easy having two coaches on the court. I'm at a phase of my career in life where I need one coach that can provide all the information, all the analysis, all of the things that I'm looking for to improve my game," he said at the time.
Similarly, Alexander Zverev Sr. has been his son's primary coach since the German's days on the junior tennis circuit. Despite adding former World No. 1's Juan Carlos Ferrero and Ivan Lendl as well as former World No. 3 David Ferrer to his team on previous occasions, his father has maintained his position as the head coach.
Prior to the 2023 French Open, Zverev split with coach Sergi Bruguera, citing a difference in opinion between him, his father, and Bruguera.
"My father, Sergi, and myself, we don't have the same opinion of how I should approach my tennis, how I should play tennis after my injury," he said at the time.
During a recent Q&A session with fans on social media, Boris Becker was asked whether Tsitsipas and Zverev needed to make changes to their coaching staff in order to reach a "world-class" level.
The question may have been prompted by neither player featuring in the upcoming semifinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
In response, Becker acknowledged that both players are coached by their fathers and refrained from suggesting the need for alternative coaching arrangements out of respect.
"Both players are coached by their fathers/families! I have too much respect for them to suggest anything else!" Becker responded on Instagram.
How Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev fared at Wimbledon 2023
Stefanos Tsitsipas began his campaign at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships with a hard-fought 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6 (10-8) win over Dominic Thiem. The World No. 5 repeated the feat against Andy Murray, fighting back to claim a 7-6(3), 6-7(2), 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 victory after their clash was interrupted due to the strict 11 pm curfew.
He then downed Laslo Djere in straight sets, winning 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-4 to advance to the fourth round. Tsitsipas narrowly missed out on the quarterfinals as Christopher Eubanks claimed a stunning 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset to reach his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev commenced his campaign with a straight-sets win over Gijs Brouwer. He then defeated Yosuke Watanuki 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the third round.
However, he was unable to progress further in the tournament as he suffered a 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-7(5) defeat to Matteo Berrettini.