Alexander Zverev began visibly cramping mid-interview during his recent appearance on the “Nothing Major” podcast, hosted by former pros John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson.
The German star, currently in Toronto for the 2025 National Bank Open, tried to power through the conversation with a smile, even as his abdominal muscles spasmed on camera twice during the episode.
Alexander Zverev Pushes Through Pain As Cramps Disrupt Podcast Amid Canadian Open Campaign
The incident unfolded while Zverev was discussing his preparation and form for the tournament. The first cramp hit while he was responding to a question about which of the Big Three (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic) he would choose to coach him for a year.
Zverev admitted that he had logged an exhausting six-hour practice session earlier in the day. Though he tried to laugh it off initially, the second wave of cramps later in the podcast forced him to call for a physio. Eventually, the discomfort proved too much, and the episode had to be cut short.
The official Instagram page for the podcast later posted the clip, prompting Zverev to chime in with a playful comment.
“I had a full body cramp for an hour after that! If @samquerrey still hates me after the effort I put into that podcast, then I’ll stop trying,” Zverev said.
His remark poked fun at Querrey’s long-running habit of always picking Zverev’s opponents to win.
Querrey hilariously replied to Zverev’s comment, “@alexzverev123 impossible to hate you now! Still not picking you to win any tournaments the rest of the year though.”
Zverev is making his seventh appearance in Toronto. After receiving a first-round bye, the top-seeded German began his campaign with a 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton. He followed it up with a three-set comeback against 32nd seed Matteo Arnaldi, sealing a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 victory that marked his 500th career win on the ATP Tour.
The moment the milestone was reached 🔥@AlexZverev completes the comeback as he takes out Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 6-3 6-2 💪#NBO25 pic.twitter.com/yuE8FBYYSc
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 1, 2025
Still, his fourth-round opponent, Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, presents a daunting challenge. Cerundolo holds a 3-0 advantage in their head-to-head meetings, making this a crucial test in Zverev’s path to potentially reclaiming the title he won in 2017.
In doubles, Zverev paired up with Marcelo Melo, though their campaign ended in the first round at the hands of sixth seeds Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski.
‘It’s a Great Achievement’: Zverev on Reaching 500th Win Milestone on the ATP Tour
After his third-round win over Arnaldi in Toronto, Zverev became the first player born in 1990 or later to reach 500 ATP Tour wins, joining just four other active male players to hit that milestone.
Zverev also ranks as the seventh-fastest man since 2000 to reach 500 victories, trailing only Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt, and Andy Roddick.
Among German players in the Open Era, he joins Boris Becker (713 wins) and Tommy Haas (569). While Zverev acknowledged the achievement, he remains focused on the road ahead.
“It’s a great achievement. There’s not a lot of players that reached that milestone,” he said in his post-match interview. “Of course I still want 500 more hopefully to come, and maybe even more.
“When you start your career, you wish to play on Tour, you wish to have a successful career, win as many matches as possible. I think 500 is definitely a milestone, and I’m happy about that.”
