"If I were him, I'd be rushing to get those next wins" - Boris Becker spurs Alexander Zverev on for more titles with time running out

Alexander Zverev finally lived his dream at Roland Garros, winning the prize that had been so elusive in his tennis carer. The German could finally call himself a Grand Slam champion, but his ambitions do not stop there. Now 29, Boris Becker has warned Zverev that he is running out of time to add to his trophy haul.

Zverev has won virtually everything in the sport of tennis. An Olympic champion, two-time ATP Finals champion, seven-time Masters 1000 winner, and most importantly a major victor thanks to his run at Roland Garros earlier this year.

Defeating Flavio Cobolli in the final after the tournament opened up so nicely for him, he had finally achieved what he had been working to for so long, no longer having that annoying and frustrating tag on him. He had a chance to go back-to-back in his first ever Wimbledon final and even won the first set. However, the gap between him and Jannik Sinner again showed as the Italian powered through to defend his title at SW19.

After a break, Zverev returned to the action at the Canadian Open. A very brief and short stint in Montreal ended to the hands of Tallon Griekspoor in three sets. With no Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic, he was the overwhelming favourite for glory for the first time since 2017, but that has not come to fruition. Up next is trips to the Cincinnati Open and US Open, more chances for him to clinch some big titles.

Following that Wimbledon triumph, Becker was adamant that Zverev had to add to his trophy cabinet sooner or later with his peak years not set to last forever.

"This is a major milestone. What he's achieved over the past eight weeks, at 29 years old, is remarkable," he said on his podcast. "You could say it was about time, or better late than never, but he did it. He fulfilled his childhood dream by winning Roland-Garros, he became a Grand Slam champion, and it's as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders."

He sensed a different Zverev on court, one that was much more free with a huge burden off his shoulders. "He seems much lighter, he played very well, and he didn't appear nervous. Something has happened within him, on a personal, private, or professional level, and it has obviously changed his game. Today, he plays much more offensively, he stays closer to the baseline, he comes to the net, and he's more varied. There has been a major step in Sascha Zverev's development."

After the Canadian Open loss, Zverev has not got time to dwell. After labelling it his 'worst performance' of the year, he is set to make the trip to Cincinnati for the second Masters 1000 event on the spin before the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year at the US Open.

Becker urged him to get on with it. "If I were him, I'd be rushing to get those next wins," he commented. "He's 29, not 25. His main competitors are younger, and other generations are coming up. After ten or eleven years as a professional, you feel it physically, but also mentally: you can't be as motivated for every match as you were five years ago."

While huge tournaments, the novelty may be wearing slightly off for Zverev who has participate in them so many times. This does not make them any less important. "When you play the US Open or Cincinnati for the twelfth time, it inevitably becomes a little less novel, while the price to pay to produce the same performance remains just as high, if not higher."

With his life away from the court also a priority, the six-time Grand Slam champion offered some wisdom on how to deal with this. "Private life also plays a very important role in prolonging a career. It can't be all about tennis all day. For me, you have to have a life off the court, something to keep you grounded, and people who love you even when you lose. I think he can maintain his current form for another year and a half to two years. After that, there will have to be an evolution."

With Sinner and Djokovic returning to Cincinnati, Zverev has now got some stiffer competition. He will hope to be in a more competitive mode than what he was in Canada as he searches for a second title in Ohio after triumphing in 2021. After missing 2022 through injury, he has reached the semi-final three years on the spin. Brilliant consistency, but regularly falling short of the golden target.