“I thought oh God”: Boris Becker reveals how he knew Alexander Zverev would struggle in final of Australian Open

Boris Becker recently pointed out a telling aspect of Alexander Zverev’s body language ahead of his loss in the 2025 Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner. Zverev, widely regarded as one of the top players on the ATP Tour, suffered a straight-sets defeat to the world number one, with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

This marked the third time Zverev had lost a Grand Slam final. He previously finished runner-up at the 2020 US Open after a dramatic five-set loss to Dominic Thiem and again in the 2024 French Open, where Carlos Alcaraz defeated him in five sets.

Becker, a former world number one, shared his thoughts with The Tennis Gazette, revealing that he sensed Zverev would face difficulties as soon as he saw him walk onto the court. According to Becker, Zverev’s posture and demeanor were indicative of tension and nervousness.

“When he walked onto the court with his shoulders slightly slumped and his head hanging low, I thought ‘oh God, oh God, oh God,’” Becker said. “He’s tense, he’s nervous, he’s not in the right mindset. This is going to be a tough one.”

In contrast, Becker praised Jannik Sinner for his confident entrance. “Sinner looked like pure sunshine, focused, chest out, head held high,” Becker continued. He emphasized that while tennis at that level comes down to strategy, forehands, and ball control, the mindset and mentality play a critical role. Becker felt this was the key difference between Sinner and Zverev in the match.

He also credited Sinner’s overall performance, noting that on hard courts, Sinner has become “almost unbeatable,” not just for Zverev but for any opponent.