Tennis: “I was muzzled,” says Zverev when asked about his health

Alexander Zverev was once again unable to help Team Europe and also lost his second match at the Laver Cup in Berlin. As was the case when he was knocked out in the quarter-finals at the US Open a few weeks ago, the world number two had to admit defeat to the American Taylor Fritz with 4:6, 5:7.

Zverev appeared to be in poor health and kept his health a secret after his defeat against Fritz. The world number two admitted that he had had a fever for four days, was not feeling well and was therefore hardly present at his teammates’ matches.

When asked specifically about his fitness and whether he would play in all the next tournaments as planned, the German replied: “I was kind of muzzled by my management back there, by my brother and Sergej.”

Brother Mischa and Sergej Bubka stood behind the journalists when Zverev was at the press conference. However, when asked, neither of them wanted to comment. “That’s a private matter,” they said.

Dizziness in Paris, coughing in the USA

During the match for Team Europe in the Berlin Arena, Zverev repeatedly struggled with his body. The doctor had to come onto the court in the middle of the second set. Zverev’s cough could be heard throughout the entire arena. “My heart rate was pretty high,” Zverev reported after his third defeat in the series against the American.

Zverev’s health and fitness have been a mystery for weeks. At the Olympic Games in Paris, he failed in the quarter-finals, complained of dizziness and reported that he had seen four balls at times. He was also in poor health when he was knocked out in Montreal, coughing loudly. According to Zverev, blood tests have not provided any clarity about the cause of his symptoms. Now comes the next setback.

The reason for his poor health could also be the packed tournament calendar. “We have the longest season in sport. It is unnecessarily long. There is no time to rest. “There is no time to prepare the body and build muscle,” said Zverev, and blamed the men’s professional organization ATP: “The ATP is not interested in our opinion. It is a money business.”