Alexander Zverev criticizes Bayern Munich for sacking head coach Julian Nagelsmann

Alexander Zverev has criticized German football club Bayern Munich for their decision to sack head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

On March 24, Bayern announced in a statement that they had decided to part ways with Nagelsmann and replace him with fellow German Thomas Tuchel in an attempt to make a fresh start under a new coach.

Speaking to RTL/ntv on the sidelines of the 2023 BMW Open in Munich, Alexander Zverev, who is a boyhood Bayern Munich fan, stated that Nagelsmann should've been given more time as the club was competing for three titles at the time of his sacking.

"I would have been more patient. Even though Tuchel is one of the best coaches in the world: I don't know how to fire Nagelsmann immediately, even though you're still in three competitions. I found it all a bit hectic at FC Bayern in the last few weeks," Zverev said.

Bayern Munich's fortunes failed to improve following Tuchel's appointment. Two weeks ago, they were knocked out of the German Cup by Freiburg in the last eight.

And on Wednesday, April 19, they exited the UEFA Champions League in the quarterfinal following a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Manchester City.

---

Alexander Zverev will look to get season going when he takes on Christopher O'Connell in Munich Open

Alexander Zverev looks on during a press conference at the 2023 BMW Open in Munich.

With a 10-10 win-loss record, Alexander Zverev has had a quiet season so far. He began the year with defeats to Jiri Lehecka and Taylor Fritz at the inaugural United Cup. At the Australian Open, he defeated Juan Pablo Varillas before losing to Michael Mmoh in the Round of 64.

He exited the Rotterdam Open in the Round of 16 and the Qatar Open in the first round, before registering his best result this season at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he reached the semifinals.

After making third-round exits at the Indian Wells Masters and Monte-Carlo Masters and a second-round exit at the Miami Open, Alexander Zverev will be in action at the Munich Open next, where he will begin his campaign with a clash against Christopher O'Connell.

Zverev is a two-time winner (2017 and 2018) in the tournament, where he has a 14-6 win-loss record. He has faced O'Connell only once so far, in Dubai this year, where he won 7-5, 6-4.

In a press conference ahead of the tournament, the 26-year-old expressed joy at competing in Munich, a city he calls home. He also stated that his performances will depend on the weather, as he isn't a fan of playing in the cold.

“I always like to play at home and Munich is a place I have good and not so good memories of. My performance depends a lot on the weather. Rain and cold are not ideal for my style of play. I like to play aggressive and fast on clay. When the weather was good, I was able to win this tournament twice. So I hope it will improve the upcoming days and we will have a good week here,” he said.