Alexander Zverev Blames Diabetes Issues for Struggles During Halle Defeat to Taylor Fritz: “My Glucose Sensor Gave Me Wrong Reading”

Alexander Zverev‘s run in Halle ended by Taylor Fritz in the semifinals. With scores of  6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, the American ace clinched his seventh consecutive win over the German ace. This helped him improve his head-to-head record over Sascha to 10-5.

At the press conference afterward, Zverev revealed the reason behind his physical struggles during the match. Although he gave the credit to Fritz for the way he performed, Zverev also shared that his glucose sensor gave him wrong readings, which is why he injected himself with more insulin than required and later had to consume more sugar.

I had huge problems with my blood sugar because the sensor I use gave me a completely wrong reading. It indicated very high values ​​when they were actually low, so I injected much more insulin than I should have. During the match, or rather during the first 45 minutes, I had to consume about 350 grams of sugar. I felt absolutely awful. That was really the reason why I wasn’t physically present in the second set, and I also struggled a lot in the third.

A few weeks ago, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final in five sets. This made him the first player living with Type 1 diabetes to win a Grand Slam title.

This is the first time something like this has happened to me. I’ve been using these types of sensors since 2016 or 2017, and in nine years I’ve never seen such a big error. After the second set, the doctors were working on my back, but the real problem was something else. If anyone reviews the match, they’ll see that I was constantly drinking one glucose drink after another.

Alexander Zverev added

Zverev was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was four years old. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned insulin, the 29-year-old is given the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) to inject himself during matches.

Fritz, after beating Zverev, scheduled the Halle Open final versus compatriot Frances Tiafoe. Before Halle, he had reached the title clashes of the Dallas Open and the Stuttgart Open, losing both to Ben Shelton.

His Stuttgart loss was the first time Fritz suffered defeat in a grass-court final. Fritz, a five-time champion on grass, holds a 7-1 head-to-head lead over Tiafoe, who beat Daniel Altmaier. Tiafoe has yet to win a title since his victory at the 2023 Stuttgart Open.

Alexander Zverev will be hoping to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon

Alexander Zverev, even though he has struggled a lot in his previous appearances at Wimbledon, is confident of having a deep run this time because of the way he performed in Halle. Also, now that he has clinched his career’s first Major, he is optimistic about having a better run in the grass-court Major.

I’m already looking a bit towards Wimbledon and feel that I’ve shown really good tennis on the grass this week. I’ve played good matches, and that’s the main thing for me. Everything else right now is secondary.

Alexander Zverev said at the press conference

The main draw of the third Grand Slam of the season starts on June 29. Zverev will be hoping to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. It’s the only Major where Zverev has never made it past the fourth round.

Last year, Arthur Rinderknech knocked him out in the first set. Zverev, in fact, has never clinched a title on grass, though he has played three finals on the surface. At this Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner will be competing as the defending champion. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz last year, winning his first title in the tournament.

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