Boris Becker: Alexander Zverev his own ‘biggest opponent’ after win over Juan Pablo Varillas at Australian Open

Published 17/01/2023 at 10:33 GMT

Alexander Zverev beat Juan Pablo Varillas on his return to Grand Slam tennis. It was his first taste of action at a major after he suffered an ankle injury at the French Open in May. Varillas is ranked No. 124 in the world but pushed Zverev to the limit. However, Boris Becker has said that Zverev’s opponent is irrelevant at the moment, and that the German is his own “biggest opponent”.

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Boris Becker says that Alexander Zverev is his own “biggest opponent” after the German overcame a dogged Juan Pablo Varillas to progress to the second round of the Australian Open on his return to Grand Slam tennis.

The 25-year-old German fought back from two sets to one down to progress in a five-set epic to set up a second-round clash against either Michael Mmoh or Laurent Lokoli.

However, Boris Becker has dismissed the concept that Zverev has been the recipient of an easy draw, adding that the Olympic gold medallist’s biggest opponent is, in fact, himself.

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"There was a lot of talk about the supposedly easy draw for Sascha Zverev,” Becker exclusively told Eurosport.

“I was always critical and said, 'the opponent doesn't matter at the moment'.

“He is his biggest opponent because of the long injury break.

“So, again, I don't care who he plays in the second round. The decisive player is Sascha Zverev. If he feels good and plays attackingly, he will also win the match - regardless of who is on the other side."

Becker added that match practice was crucial to the German’s attempted return to the summit of the game, and reserved praise for his opponent, who he termed a “cool kid”.

"You can't overcome a seven-month break, even with lots of training sessions,” added Becker.

“In the match everything is new and different again - with a different tension. You could see that: He played very well in parts - like in the second set. You thought it was just as usual. But then he started thinking.

“Nevertheless, a compliment to his opponent, who played excellently over five sets. A cool kid! Although he hasn't won a match on a hard court on the tour yet, he played very well and gave Sascha a tough fight."

The next step for Zverev now – added Becker – was to assess the state of his ankle and general physical conditioning.

"The bottom line is that it's a good ending for Sascha because he now knows that the ankle is solid,” said Becker.

“That was the first serious test of how fit he is and how he feels. He'll probably know that a bit better tomorrow morning. He will probably have a bit of muscle soreness.

"Basically, he has more confidence now after the injury - and that's the most important message."