Alexander Zverev’s campaign at the Terra Wortmann Open has ended in heartbreak after a loss to Taylor Fritz in the semifinals. The German, who displayed moments of difficulty during the thrilling contest, later revealed an unexpected complication that disrupted his performance and caused havoc with his blood sugar levels.
What Alexander Zverev Said About His ‘Huge Problems’ After Losing to Taylor Fritz
Zverev endured a challenging start to his battle with Fritz in Halle, requiring an off-court medical timeout at 3-4(40-40) in the opening set. Although the world No. 3 battled back to clinch the first set, Fritz responded strongly by forcing a decider. As he dealt with a back issue, Zverev struggled to maintain his level in the third set, allowing the American to seal a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 victory and secure his seventh straight win over the German.
Speaking to the press after his exit, Zverev dismissed concerns about his back but revealed he had experienced a major problem with his blood sugar due to his glucose sensor displaying inaccurate readings.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to worry heading into Wimbledon. My back did seize up a bit, but that wasn’t the main reason for the defeat. 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,” Zverev said.
The world No. 3, who lives with type 1 diabetes, explained how having to inject a lot of insulin into his system hampered him during the clash. However, he was quick to emphasize that Fritz was the deserved winner.
“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,” he added. “Even so, I fought, I gave it my all, and in the end, I have to acknowledge that Taylor deservedly won. He played better than me today. He was more present, fresher, moved better, and deserved the victory.”
Zverev went on to say that he had never encountered such a severe malfunction with the device before, detailing the large amounts of glucose he had to consume to prevent his blood sugar from dropping to “dangerously low” levels while on court.
“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,” he said. “In the end, I consumed between 300 and 350 grams of sugar. That’s very difficult to manage. It’s like someone drinking a huge amount of soda during a game. Obviously, they’re not going to feel good. But I had to do it because otherwise, my blood sugar levels would have been dangerously low the whole time.”
MORE: Alexander Zverev’s Daughter Mayla Bonds With His Girlfriend Sophia Thomalla During Halle Appearance
The 29-year-old disclosed that the device’s extraordinarily high readings were completely at odds with how he was feeling physically, saying, “I noticed it shortly before the match. The device was showing extremely high levels. However, I already felt like my blood sugar was low. I decided to take another reading and confirmed that my levels were indeed low. At that moment I thought, ‘It’s going to be a tough day.'”
Despite the loss, Alexander Zverev expressed optimism about his form heading into Wimbledon after recently clinching his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open. Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz will continue his preparations for the grass-court Major by locking horns with fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a blockbuster final at the ATP 500 event in Halle.
