Zverev hits back at Becker after early Paris Masters exit as world No. 1
After losing his first match as world number one at the Paris Masters, Alexander Zverev dismissed Boris Becker's criticism as nonsense.
This summary was written by AI to complete the context; it is not based on a current source.
Alexander Zverev lost in the second round of the Paris Masters on 4 November 2026, beaten 7-6, 6-2 by Italy's Lorenzo Musetti. It was his first match since becoming world number one, and he admitted afterwards that it was not a good performance.
Asked about comments from Boris Becker, the former Wimbledon champion and Germany's best-known tennis figure, Zverev was dismissive. He said Becker was talking nonsense, as he often did, and appeared to be searching for anything that might put him down. Becker had suggested that if Zverev wanted more respect and affection in Germany, he would have to do something about it.
Zverev also said he was tired of having to justify his ranking and insisted he deserved to be where he was. The exchange fed an ongoing debate in German tennis over whether he was a worthy number one, and it set the tone for the public back-and-forth between the two men.
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Becker–Zverev dispute over world number one · 3 updates
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