Why Lendl ended his partnership with Zverev

Ivan Lendl and Sascha Zverev finally part ways after a somewhat troubled relationship.

The German managed to win the most prestigious title of his career (so far) with Ivan after he conquered the ATP Finals back in 2018. However, things got dramatically sideways for him soon after and apparently his life got “poisoned” by his abrupt split with his former manager Patricio Apey and a difficult relationship with his girlfriend Olya Sharypova.

Zverev and Lendl

Things got weird between Sascha and Ivan, and according to Zverev’s rumored next coach, Boris Becker, their relationship was affected by Sascha’s clash against Apey.

The world no.5 had a mindblowing interview in Hamburg when he publicly questioned Lendl’s work ethic hinting that at times during training sessions he was more interested in talking about playing golf and his little dog than coaching him.

After that blast, Lendl obviously ended the relationship soon after with the following statement:

“I have a lot of belief in Sascha, who is still very young. I think that one day he may become a great player but currently, he has some off-court issues that make it difficult to work in a way that is consistent with my philosophy.”

Zverev’s previous problems with Juan Carlos Ferrero

It’s not the first time that Sascha has problems with his “celebrity coaches.” At the beginning of 2018, the German had another abrupt split with former world no.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero that was coaching him. The separation didn’t happen in good terms, and it was the Spaniard to question Sascha’s work-ethic saying that he was not respecting the guidelines anymore and he was frequently late for his training sessions.

What happened with Ivan Lendl wasn’t nice as well, and many didn’t appreciate how he blasted at such a legendary tennis figure. Unfortunately, this is something that Zverev will pay in terms of popularity.

Why Boris Becker will probably coach Zverev

The German Legend is widely considered as Sascha’s natural coach. Besides the fact that Zverev is his compatriot and they share the same culture, Boris has always been at his side, and he often shows up during his matches. The former world no.1 also acquired a great experience in coaching top players that want to get to the “next level” after his successful stint with Novak Djokovic.

Becker is currently in Hamburg where the world no.5 is in the quarters, and he also commented (very briefly) about the broken relationship between Zverev and Lendl as if he was somewhat involved in it.