After struggling with his health for a couple of weeks, Alexander Zverev finally confirmed that he has been battling a condition that troubled him, particularly at the 2024 Laver Cup.
Zverev has been dealing with health issues since the Olympics in Paris. He was unsure of what was going on but returned home to Germany for some testing. All seemed well, and he made his way to the United States, where he played at the events leading up to the US Open, including the US Open.
His level at those events was quite a bit below what he showed at Roland Garros, for example, and it was a tough pill to swallow, but his health seemed fine. His next event was the Laver Cup, where he played a couple of matches but still looked quite a bit shaky.
In the match against Taylor Fritz, Zverev struggled to breathe at times, which is why he required a medical timeout. While he continued playing in that match and the event, the German was clearly struggling.
He managed a miraculous comeback win against Frances Tiafoe to give Team Europe a chance to win the event, which did happen when Carlos Alcaraz bested Taylor Fritz in the final match of the event.
Zverev was then set to play at the China Open in Beijing, but he was forced to withdraw from the event due to health issues. After doing more testing, he was finally able to find out what had been bothering him in Berlin, and it was pneumonia.
He further told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that he would take care of his health first before returning to competition and that he was sorry to have to withdraw from the China Open.
"Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with pneumonia, which explains the physical difficulties I’ve had in recent months. I have to take care of my health first so that I can compete again as soon as possible."
"I am very disappointed that I had to withdraw from the China Open. I will miss my Chinese fans in Beijing and hope to be able to play in front of them again soon."
It's an unfortunate situation for Zverev, and it comes at a bad time with the Shanghai Masters looming. Zverev has generally performed quite well in China, so missing these events is unfortunate for him.
However, it could be a blessing in disguise, as he has played a lot of tennis this year. That kind of fatigue builds up, and it might have prevented him from finishing the season strongly.
If he takes a few weeks now to rest and recover, Zverev could be set for a strong finish at the end of the year, especially during the indoor season. Key events like the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals could be realistic targets for him.
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