Alexander Zverev, who suffers from diabetes, sees the debate about his insulin injections at the French Open as settled.
With a view to the grass classic in Wimbledon, the Olympic tennis champion reported that there were still open questions. “I can do whatever I want here,” said the 26-year-old after reaching the semi-finals in Paris. “That was the decision for this week and then they will decide again because of Wimbledon.”
Zverev had previously complained that there was inconsistent handling of whether he was allowed to inject insulin during the games on the bench or whether this was one of two possible toilet breaks when going to the catacombs. The tournament organizers of the French Open then announced that this was allowed on the court and that it would not be counted as a toilet break off the court.
Looking ahead to the future, Zverev said after defeating Argentinian Tomás Martin Etcheverry: “What do they want to do? Forbid me to inject myself? They can’t do that. I think the solution will become permanent, it only has to be one decision to be made.” In normal ATP tournaments, spraying is allowed on the pitch, Zverev reported. Even looking back at the Australian Open, he couldn’t remember any problems.
foundation established
In August 2022, Zverev made his long-standing diabetes public. Born in Hamburg, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. Almost a year ago he also announced the founding of his foundation “Alexander Zverev Foundation – Aufschlag gegen Diabetes”.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease, which means that the body can hardly or no longer produce any insulin. Type 1, as with Zverev, has not yet been cured, so those affected have to inject insulin for the rest of their lives.