Zverev Reveals Shocking Story Of Being Struck By Lightning On His Way To Roland Garros
NewsSaturday, 24 May 2025 at 10:58
Alexander Zverev revealed a story of being struck by lightning on his way to the Roland Garros this year.
Zverev hasn't enjoyed the best preparation for this year's French Open. Despite winning the title in Munich, he couldn't get anywhere close to the title in Madrid, Rome, and Hamburg.
After his participation in the ATP 500 event in Hamburg, the German player travelled to Paris. He was joined by Jiri Lehecka, Brandon Nakashima, and a few doubles players, and they all now have a very interesting story to tell.
During their flight from Hamburg to Paris, their plane was struck by lightning, which is why the captains had to perform an emergency landing in Hamburg. The players then had to find another way to get to Paris.
Zverev couldn't find another plane for a few hours, but ultimately, he got to Paris, even though it was in the middle of the night. He revealed the crazy story during his pre-tournament press conference.
"We were supposed to fly yesterday evening at 6.45 pm and we took off from Hamburg and we were flying with [Jiri] Lehecka, [Brandon] Nakashima, and some doubles players and we got struck by lightning, funny enough."
"So we had to do an emergency landing back in Hamburg, couldn't find another plane. I took another plane around 1 am, arrived in Paris around 3 am. First time experience got struck by lightning midair, which is funny. It was a little noise, no real wobbling, nothing. So that was my trip over here."
After experiencing a lightning strike, Zverev can now fully focus on his journey at Roland Garros. He played in the final of the tournament last year, and he will want to follow up on that this year.
The ATP World No. 3 player will take on Learner Tien in the first round, and ahead of the tournament, Zverev spoke about the importance of getting through the first few matches.
He knows he is still one of the best players in the world when it comes to playing on clay, and in general as well. However, due to his recent patchy form, regaining his confidence and getting back to winning ways will be crucial for him.
"I think the first few matches will be very important for me, for sure. But again, Roland Garros is different to all the other tournaments on clay. This is a Grand Slam, we're playing best of five sets. A lot of other things come into consideration here."
"For me, the goal remains the same. Did I have the best preparation? Probably not. So, it's crucial for me to play well in the early stages, but I'm excited for this tournament, I'm excited for another opportunity, especially after the Australian Open."
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