Tennis
Pep Guardiola made offer by Wimbledon tennis star after Bayern Munich plea
Pep Guardiola was in Wimbledon’s Royal Box and, after watching Alexander Zverev win his third round match, was told he could coach the German if he wanted to quit football
Alexander Zverev has told Pep Guardiola he quite fancies having him as a coach.
The Manchester City boss was in the Royal Box at Wimbledon to witness the German see off home favourite Cam Norrie in straight sets. World No.4 Zverev has reached numerous Grand Slam finals but is yet to get over the line as he eyes a landmark success.
Guardiola watched his commanding victory with Zverev addressing the Catalan directly afterwards as he was interviewed on court. The City boss has been in management since 2008, having just the one year out, as he remains a serial winner in England’s top flight.
Three of his seasons were spent in charge of Bayern Munich, where he won three Bundesliga titles and several other domestic honours. Zverev himself is a fan of the Bavarians and joked that he should return to the Allianz Arena, but also offered him the chance to become his coach.
He said: “For me and for all tennis players it’s an honour to play on this beautiful Centre Court and in front of the Royal Box, we had so many sporting legends today.
“For me Pep Guardiola – when I saw Pep I got so nervous for a few games. Thanks a lot for coming, it’s a privilege to play. Last thing – Bayern Munich needs a coach. If you’re tired of football you can coach me on a tennis court any time.”
Guardiola came down from the Royal Box and had a 1-1 chat with Zverev afterwards. The German said he would be more than willing to host the City boss in his box after Guardiola said he wouldn’t be making another Wimbledon appearance due to the demand to be in the prime seats.
The pair also posed for photos after Zverev handed Guardiola one of his rackets. The German, who lost in the recent French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, will now play 13th seed Taylor Fritz in the fourth round ahead of a possible semi-final with Novak Djokovic if both men advance that far.
Guardiola meanwhile is enjoying some downtime after leading City to a record fourth successive Premier League title. He still has a year left on his deal at the Etihad and, despite Zverev’s jokes, won’t be moving back to Munich after they hired Vincent Kompany as their new manager.
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