Boris Becker is no stranger to speaking his mind, particularly when it comes to German tennis.
After all, having set the bar so high with his own exceptional career, it’s unsurprising that he therefore expects so much of the generations that have followed.
Alexander Zverev remains, by some distance, the best male export to have emerged from his homeland since his retirement, although the lack of a Grand Slam title clearly impacted people’s perceptions of him.
Having finally achieved that feat at Roland Garros earlier this month, a huge pressure will have now been lifted off his shoulders.
Becker now believes that this should carry him into Wimbledon as the favourite to win this major as well.
Boris Becker rates Alexander Zverev’s chances of winning Wimbledon
Speaking to Eurosport, nearly a week after Becker congratulated Zverev on his French Open title, already the 58-year-old is back to expecting big things from his compatriot.
Posing the question to himself, he swiftly delivered an answer, admitting: “Is he suddenly the favourite at Wimbledon? For me, yes.”
How many more Grand Slams does Alexander Zverev win now?
What a final!
Becker then explained why: “Alcaraz is injured, and with Sinner, no one knows how or when he’ll return.
“Sascha has the serve for grass-court tennis; with that serve, you’re already in the semifinals. Of course, he has to adapt. If he’s as far back on the return at Wimbledon as he was in Paris, it won’t work. But he has what it takes to triumph at Wimbledon, too.”
Who are the favourites to win the men’s Wimbledon title?
Whilst Zverev should be considered a favourite to win Wimbledon, he notoriously has underperformed on grass throughout his career.
Meanwhile, whilst Becker discounts other challengers, it’s disingenuous to ignore the other outstanding favourites to challenge for the title.
Who is your early shout to win the men’s Wimbledon title?
Jannik Sinner is the defending champion, and therefore will be backed to regain his title, especially with Carlos Alcaraz out injured.
However, other stars like Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and especially Novak Djokovic represent fine grass-court players, with the latter a seven-time winner at the All England Club.
He will see this as one of his last great opportunities to win a 25th Grand Slam, and such a motivator could be crucial.
