Olympic Games - Zverev: Being the flagbearer in Paris would be the greatest honor
Tennis player Alexander Zverev has confirmed that he wants to carry the German flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris. "The Olympics are the biggest sports event we have in the world," said the 27-year-old at the ATP-500 tournament in his hometown Hamburg.
At most, the Football World Cup comes close. It is confirmed for the Gold Medal winner of the Tokyo Games: "Leading a whole nation and the German team is the greatest honor a athlete can have."
Voting is still open publicly until Sunday to determine who will carry the German flag on July 26th. Besides Zverev, basketball World Champion Dennis Schröder and javelin thrower Christian Reitz are the candidates for men. For women, dressage rider Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, footballer Alexandra Popp and judoka Anna-Maria Wagner are the candidates.
Whether Zverev participates in the opening ceremony depends on his job as flag bearer. If he is not chosen, he may have to be present the next day. "I was told that one should not participate in the ceremony if one has a competition the next day," said the world number four.
Alexander Zverev's hometown, Hamburg, hosts an ATP-500 tournament, which he attended to express his desire to represent Germany at the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris. The Football World Cup in Tokyo is the closest event to the Olympics in terms of grandeur, and the gold medal winner will be awarded the opportunity to lead their nation and team. Despite public voting ending on Sunday for the German flag bearer, Alexander Zverev's participation in the ceremony may be contingent upon his flag-carrying role, as he mentioned that athletes should not participate if they have a competition the following day. While tennis is his primary sport, Alexander Zverev acknowledged that the Olympics encompass various sports such as basketball, javelin throwing, dressage, football, and judo.
