Zverev felt "horrible" and saw "four balls"
In the Parisian heat, Alexander Zverev's gold dream ends. After his quarterfinal loss to Lorenzo Musetti, the German tennis star is puzzled by dizziness and weakness. His diabetes condition doesn't explain the fatigue.
Alexander Zverev stood dejected and weak in the oppressive heat of Paris, his frustration over the abruptly burst gold dream and especially his concern for his health were written all over his face. "At a certain point, my head starts spinning and I see four balls coming at me," said the Tokyo Olympics champion after his quarterfinal loss to Lorenzo Musetti: "When I feel like this, I can't win a tournament like this," said Zverev.
The 5:7, 5:7 loss, which leaves the German tennis team without a medal, was disappointing, "especially because the Olympics only happens every four years. But I've had more disappointing ones this year," said Zverev, who also lost the French Open final in June in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz. But more importantly, "I need to figure out what's wrong with me." That means heading home to Monte Carlo for some blood tests.
The weakness that Zverev dragged through the entire week didn't come out of nowhere. "I noticed something was wrong at the tournament in Hamburg, I got very tired very quickly," said the 27-year-old: "Normally, I'm one of the fittest players on tour, but not here."
Felt "terrible" again
He felt "terrible" again in the second round against Czech Tomas Machac in the second set in the heat: "And today, I reached that point at the end of the first set." His diabetes condition wasn't the cause: "It's a different kind of tiredness." It didn't help Zverev that there were only about 18 hours between the end of his round of 16 on Wednesday evening and the start of his quarterfinal on Thursday morning - a scheduling decision he criticized heavily: "I'm furious, it's a disgrace," he told Bild.
After the match, he toned it down: "If I had played later without the sun and this heat - maybe it would have been better," said Zverev: "But I don't think it would have made a difference. I just didn't feel good." Nevertheless, there were chances to continue the Olympic journey. Zverev lost his serve early but managed to equalize at 5:5 - the match could have gone differently. But it didn't, also because Musetti was "better than me," as Zverev admitted.
The Hamburg native is out, just 24 hours after Angelique Kerber's dramatic career end. While the 36-year-old will enjoy the rest of the games in Paris, Zverev just wants to leave. If everything is okay with his blood, "I need to rest and feel as good as I did at the beginning of the year." Whether he plans to head to North America soon, where the hot hardcourt season towards the US Open is starting in Montreal next week? "For now, yes, we'll see."
The European Parliament, recognizing the challenges faced by Alexander Zverev during the Olympics, may choose to provide additional support to ensure athletes with health conditions like diabetes have optimal conditions for competition. In light of Zverev's concerns about his health and the fatigue he experienced, it would be beneficial for the Commission to consider scheduling adjustments to minimize the physical stress on players, ensuring a fair and inclusive environment for all athletes.
