Alexander Zverev has been struggling with a health issue in recent weeks, and he has opened up about it.
The 27-year-old German is one of the athletes that compete despite fighting diabetes. He revealed only relatively recently that he has lived with the condition, and since then, fans could see him often checking his sugar levels during his matches.
Recently, he competed at the 2024 Hamburg Open in his hometown, but he lost in the final to Arthur Fils. It was his home ATP 500 tournament, so it mattered greatly to Zverev, but as he revealed in a recent interview with the German publication BILD, he also struggled with health issues during the tournament.
The former World No. 2 player admitted that it was in Hamburg when he realized that he was having physical issues. According to Zverev, he got tired more quickly than before, and he experienced it also after moving to Paris, where he competed at the 2024 Olympic Games.
"Two weeks ago in Hamburg, I realized that something was wrong with me. I got tired very, very quickly. The training in Paris was not very intense either because I always got tired very quickly and needed longer breaks."
According to the 27-year-old, it was in the second round in Hamburg when he struggled a lot, which was his only three-set match apart from the final. In that second-round match, he had to come back against Hugo Gaston, winning 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
"In the second round I couldn't take it anymore after one set and today I had the same feeling. I have to clarify that. It's time to see what's happening and get back to the best form I had a few weeks ago."
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he lost in the quarter-finals to Lorenzo Musetti, 5-7, 5-7, and it was after this loss that the World No. 4 player made the shocking revelation about his current state.
Zverev stated that sometimes, he sees four balls coming towards him, which makes it very difficult to compete at the highest level.
"If there is a problem with your sugar level, you feel that you are going slower and you don't feel like exercising. Here I feel dizzy and I see four balls coming towards me. I feel like I can't do anything anymore."
The German player also stated that in this state, he isn't capable of challenging for tournament trophies, suggesting that he may take time off to properly rest and recover.
"If I feel like I do now and like I felt all week, I can't win a tournament like that. I feel like I'm at the beginning of the season."
It will be a very difficult decision to make for the German player, as one of the busiest parts of the ATP calendar follows. First, players will compete at the 2024 Canadian Open in Montreal, before moving to the United States, where another ATP Masters 1000 tournament will be held - the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
Shortly after that, the last major of the season will start, as players will move to Flushing Meadows for the 2024 US Open.
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