Alexander Zverev Addresses ‘Extreme’ Social Media Abuse Players Face Daily

Alexander Zverev will be bidding to win his first French Open title, having failed to do so last year due to his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

Alexander Zverev Addresses ‘Extreme’ Social Media Abuse Players Face Daily

Alexander Zverev (Image via X/Quindici Zero)

Alexander Zverev was at the receiving end of criticism when he was struggling to win matches after his defeat to World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final. He lost six tournaments without winning more than two matches.

In his home tournament, the BMW Open, Zverev ended his title drought by beating Ben Shelton. The German then went on to lose three more tournaments without reaching the semifinal, including at the Hamburg Open where Frenchman Alexandre Muller knocked him out in the fourth round.

Zverev is in Paris for the French Open. In the pre-tournament press conference, the World No.3 was asked about Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia‘s comment on X calling out the culture of playing through injuries.

The 28-year-old, after his Hamburg Open exit, said that he vomited 37 times. In the French Open press conference, he said had he withdrawn from the Hamburg Open, he would have been accused of “taking the money and leaving after a match“. While discussing the problem of players being forced to play while dealing with injuries, Zverev also addressed the hate players receive on social media.

For us tennis players, the abuse that we get on a daily basis online and through social media is extreme. The amount of it, you guys [the journalists] don’t know because a lot of it is hidden messages, direct messages, and all of that we do as players. Mentally, I think it is a very difficult sport for us.

Garcia, who has often been vocal about the abuse players receive, has announced that the French Open will be the last tournament of her career. She is scheduled to lock horns with Bernarda Pera in the first round on May 26th.

Alexander Zverev reveals what’s the toughest task in tennis history

Rafael Nadal was struggling to win matches after making his comeback from an injury at the Barcelona Open last year, and not many had expected him to win his record 15th French Open title. When the draw for last year’s French Open came out, there were concerns whether he would be able to reach the second round.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via X/The Globe and Mail)

Since his opponent was Alexander Zverev, the three-time Grand Slam champion, in the pre-tournament press conference, revealed how he felt when he realized he would be pitted against the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

That wasn’t the best feeling in the world when the draw came out because, when you see him, on Philippe-Chatrier…he is the most respected and probably the most feared athlete inside of a stadium. I think Rafa Nadal in Philippe-Chatrier court is the most difficult task in sport’s history.

Nadal later at the Davis Cup hung up his racket after Spain’s 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands. Zverev, after beating Nadal, went all the way to the final only to lose a five-set thriller against World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, who he could face in the championship match once again. But before that, he could run into 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.

Alexander Zverev will face Learner Tien in the French Open first round

This year as well, Sascha will be facing a left-hander but he’s not nervous about it because the player is not a 14-time French Open champion. It’s America’s Learner Tien, the runner-up at last year’s Next-Gen ATP Finals, who will be making his main-draw debut in the clay-court Major.

Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)
Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)

Tien has faced the three-time Grand Slam finalist once. They met in the fourth round of the Mexican Open this February which the 19-year-old won in straight sets.

Also read: Andy Roddick Predicts How Far Iga Swiatek Will Go at the French Open After Being Handed “The Most Brutal Draw”