Alexander Zverev is currently forced to sit out due to injury. The Olympic champion is using the break to draw attention to an issue that is important to him
Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev has long been ashamed of his diabetes. Even as a child he had many bad experiences, Zverev told the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe” in an interview.
Even at the beginning of his career at the age of 17 or 18, he denied the disease. “In the beginning, I even hid to inject myself with insulin. I did that in the toilets. When I started dating girls, it was impossible to talk to them about it. I was far too embarrassed to bring up the subject,” said Zverev, who made his condition public a few days ago and in the process announced the establishment of his foundation “Alexander Zverev Foundation – Aufschlag gegen Diabetes”.
“Never really got rid of this childhood trauma “
He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three and a half. He had many bad experiences as a child. Once, his equipment and insulin were stolen. He found it broken on the ground outside. “I never really got rid of this childhood trauma, it’s still in the back of my mind,” Zverev said. Even at birthday parties, he said, he was sometimes forbidden to eat cake.
The doctors had told him when he was a child that he could not play top-class sport with this illness. “I believe that today I can say that they were wrong. With this foundation, I want to send a message to parents and children all over the world that there are no limits except the ones you impose on yourself,” stressed the 25-year-old, who is currently working on his comeback in rehab after his serious ligament injury.
He has no problems practising his sport. He always has his blood glucose meter in his tennis bag. Zverev does not see a big disadvantage. “It’s one more thing to deal with, but if I lose, it’s my fault. Full stop. I don’t want to use diabetes as an excuse for losing,” said the world number two.
