'Hate It': Zverev Explains Why He Refused To Call Doctor Despite Being Injured At US Open
ATP
Alexander Zverev was dealing with some physical issues in the match against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 US Open, but he refused to call the doctor.
Speaking after the loss to Alcaraz, Zverev admitted to feeling something in his leg that impacted the way he could play. Running was a bit painful, but the serve was particularly affected as Zverev lost his major weapon in the middle of the second set.
Obviously, it made things easier for Alcaraz, who cruised after that. Reporters asked Zverev why he didn't call the doctor after the match, and he explained that he disliked doing it. It was an interesting perspective to hear from a player who generally doesn't call the trainer often.
No, I hate calling the trainer. I think, for me, a lot of players do it to disrupt the rhythm. For me, a lot of players do it for the wrong reasons. I just hate it, because at the end of the day you call the trainer but I don't know what I have, right?
But if you have a muscle tear or you have something wrong, what the hell is he going to do in three minutes? He's not going to heal it in three minutes. That's not gonna happen. I think a trainer is good for maybe taping, retaping your ankles, maybe taping something else.
Zverev didn't want to blame the injury for the loss, even though he did admit that it impacted him. He didn't call the doctor and finished the match. He'll do scans and testing to see what it is, as a doctor briefly looked at it after the match, confirming the presence of an issue.
But at the end of the day it's not going to go away, especially if you go out there and have to sprint for dropshots three minutes later. For me, yeah, I'm not that type of player. I don't like it. I don't like when other players do it, so I really leave it till the last moment kind of
