Alexander Zverev has been warned that his father should “step back” from his tennis career amid his ongoing quest to win an elusive Grand Slam title.
World No 3 Zverev is one of the most successful tennis players of his era, winning 24 ATP Tour titles overall — including an Olympic gold medal, seven Masters 1000 titles, and two ATP Finals titles.
However, a Grand Slam title has so far eluded the German, who has lost in the finals of the 2020 US Open — having led by two sets to love — the 2024 French Open, and the 2025 Australian Open.
Despite reaching the Australian Open final and finishing the year ranked third, 2025 was challenging at times for the 28-year-old, who slipped significantly behind the dominant duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Zverev was stunned in the opening round of Wimbledon by Arthur Rinderknech and beaten in the third round of the US Open by Felix Auger-Aliassime, two uncharacteristic early exits after years of consistency at the majors.
The German won just one title in 2025, triumphing at the Munich Open in April, and failed to reach the final of a Masters 1000 event.
Zverev’s coach remains his father, Alexander Snr, with his older brother Mischa contributing to coaching duties on occasion.
However, after a challenging year by his own high standards — and his troubles trying to win a Grand Slam title — the lack of outside influence in the German’s career has been questioned.
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The likes of Ivan Lendl, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and David Ferrer have all previously been in Zverev’s entourage, though none of those partnerships lasted on a long-term basis.
Earlier this year, tennis great Boris Becker stated that Zverev should bring in a new coach and replace his father, following his French Open exit to Novak Djokovic.
Now, leading tennis figure and Spanish businessman Pancho Campo has offered a similar point of view.
Speaking to Punto de Break, he claimed that parents could be a tennis player’s “biggest enemies”, and urged Zverev to consider a new pathway.
He said: “Sascha Zverev really intrigues me.
“He has the physique, the height, the shots… but he doesn’t win Grand Slams. Every time he plays against the top players, he loses. I don’t know what’s going on.
“For a player, family is always very important, but sometimes parents are their biggest enemies. A parent is the best support, if used correctly, but they can also ruin your career.
“Look at Jennifer Capriati! They didn’t make peace until the day she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. I don’t know Zverev’s case as well, but I think his father should take a step back and let someone else manage his son’s career.”
Zverev finished 2025 with a 57-25 win-loss record for the year, reaching further finals at the Stuttgart Open and Vienna Open outside of his Munich title, and Australian Open runner-up finish.
Though he finished a more-than-respectable third in the year-end rankings, a staggering 6,340 points separates him from world No 2 Sinner.
The German will start his 2026 season representing Germany at the United Cup before the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne, which begins on January 18.
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