“I’m not a bad eater, but…” Alexander Zverev opens up on his strange passions for food
Alexander Zverev recently lost his opening round match at the Monte Carlo Masters to Matteo Berrettini.
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Alexander Zverev (via Taste of Tennis)
World No. 2 Alexander Zverev recently gave a rather eccentric take on his aversion to eating when he appeared as a guest on MagentaTV show Bestbesetzung. The German called eating a “waste of time”.
He further admitted to eating incredibly little, often having to be forced to eat, and not enjoying food on vacations. He would rather consume a pill if it could guarantee that he would never have to eat again. Coming from a top athlete, this is a very interesting admission, as food and healthy eating form a crucial part of any athlete’s life.
For me, eating is a waste of time. If they could give me a pill and I never had to eat again, I would take it. I’m not a bad eater, but I eat incredibly little. I have to be forced to eat. I don’t enjoy food on vacation. I’m not the kind of guy who says, ‘Wow, I’m having a great time.’ I’m the kind of guy who comes back from vacation two kilos lighter.
Alexander Zverev via MagentaTV- Bestbesetzung
The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist also spoke about the importance of emotional regulation and control and how he wants to be a role model for children in this regard. He added that he hasn’t broken a single racket in over three years.
I haven’t broken a single racket in over three years… when I was young, I was crazy… broke rackets, I broke chairs. I didn’t really have myself under control on the tennis court at times. I eventually realized that, as I said, with my diabetes history, I might also, for some parents, for some children, be a role model. Maybe there are really children out there who really get up at 6 a.m. to watch a tennis match, and they don’t need to see something like that.
Alexander Zverev added
However, Zverev called his younger self “crazy”, as he would often break rackets or chairs and didn’t really have himself under control on the tennis court at times. Zverev has previously also been kicked out of a tournament for repeatedly smashing his racket against the umpire’s chair. This incident took place at the 2022 Mexico Open after losing a doubles match with Marcelo Melo.
Alexander Zverev has struggled to find his form since the Australian Open defeat
Alexander Zverev has had a rather inconsistent season so far after the Australian Open, where he had a heartbreaking loss to defending champion Jannik Sinner. This marked his third Grand Slam final defeat. The 27-year-old is yet to win a Major title.
Many predicted that Zverev would kick on after the Australian Open defeat, especially with World No. 1 Sinner’s three-month doping ban that started at the beginning of February this year. However, Zverev failed to make it past the quarter-finals at the three events he competed in during the South American swing. He fared even worse at the North American swing as he lost in the opening round at Indian Wells and the last 16 in Miami. Entering into the clay season, he has not made any progress either.
Matteo Berrettini stuns Alexander Zverev at Monte Carlos Masters
Last year, Alexander Zverev was one of the best players in the world on clay. He won the Rome Masters, where he defeated Nicolas Jarry in straight sets in the final. He followed it up by reaching his second Grand Slam final at Roland Garros. However, this year, Zverev has made a very poor start to his clay season. He lost to Matteo Berrettini in the opening round match of the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.
The Italian trailed from one set down to seal the victory, marking his first triumph over a top-two player and only the 11th top-10 win of his career. With this win, the 28-year-old has advanced to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters for the second time in his career.
Before knocking out the World No. 2, Berrettini breezed past Argentina’s Mariano Navone to kick-start his campaign in the Principality. Zverev later expressed his dissatisfaction with his performance, calling his level “unacceptable” and describing it as his “worst period” since his serious injury.
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