Is Alexander Zverev Diabetic? What Does German Star Do Between Change-Overs?

Alexander Zverev had a great run in this Australian Open before finally stopping tracks in the semi-finals against Daniil Medvedev. His win against Carlos Alcaraz surprised many who had the young Spaniard as their favorite. In the light of his semi-final finish, fifth in Grand Slams, a medical detail about him is in discussion again.

Alexander Zverev has Type 1 diabetes. Only 26 years of age, Zverev has been fighting this ugly disease ever since he was three years old. It is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-production cells. Zverev revealed his condition in 2022.

Not a stranger to controversies (allegations of domestic abuse), Zverev’s medical condition also turned into a problem for him in a strange course of events. Those with Type 1 diabetes or diabetes mellitus, need to constantly inject themselves with insulin at frequent intervals. Since the body’s insulin production is very low, a sugar accumulation may take place inside one’s body which may lead to diabetic coma.

In other words, if Zverev doesn’t constantly inject himself with insulin almost every hour, he may fall unconscious. This is where the root of his problem lies, as far as playing a tennis match of 5 sets is concerned. At the French Open last year, after the world had already found out about his condition, the officials stopped Zverev from taking his injections in a conflicting manner. They told him to leave the court before administering the shots and that those breaks would be counted as toilet breaks.

A DW.com article recorded his frustrated response to such a ruling.

“I replied: ‘Guys, come on! I only have two toilet breaks in a match but in a best-of-five-match sometimes I have to inject four, or five times,'” was Zverev’s response.

This was a serious concern. On one side was a player’s need to remain healthy and on the other side were a tournament’s strict rules. However, Zverev was correct in claiming his right to do so.

“So I told them that it can not be like this because this would mean that something is not allowed what is necessary for my well being, for my life. They said it looks weird when I do this on court. If I don’t do it, my life will be in danger. But they said it looks weird. This discussion makes no sense”, he continued.

If for the sake of looking weird, Zverev wasn’t allowed to do so, then something must’ve been done about the rules of a competition.

A rare specimen: Alexander Zverev became a top athlete despite his diabetes

When the world found out about his condition in 2022, they were shocked to learn that a top-tier athlete had been carrying this burden and still performing so gloriously at the highest level. Not only them, the doctors who first diagnosed him, believed it was impossible for him to ever reach the zenith of his sport.

But Zverev managed to reach such heights because he was always carrying the necessary items to tackle this disease. This is why, in between long intense hours of matches, Zverev checks his blood sugar levels. He also has a device, which was quite secretive for a while, to check his blood sugar levels. It is simply a glucose monitor. This allows him to know when exactly to take the insulin shot.

As it was secretive for a while, many doubted that he might’ve been getting coaching tips illegitimately over social media. They thought he was constantly checking his phone inside his bag. It was Germany’s Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann who made the revelation, breaking their doubt.

He is still mired in controversies and is generally not liked by a lot. But either way here’s to hoping his condition improves.