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After winning the Laver Cup in Berlin, tennis star Alexander Zverev has to take a break. He was diagnosed with a serious illness.
Beijing – Germany’s currently best tennis professional Alexander Zverev was unable to break his Grand Slam curse at the four majors this year and will have to make a new attempt next year.
One reason: Zverev’s performance this season was affected by health problems. After After winning the Laver Cup in Berlin, the 27-year-old now has to take a forced break – due to pneumonia!
Tennis star Alexander Zverev is suffering from pneumonia. © IMAGO / Photo Players Images
Tennis star Alexander Zverev is out with pneumonia
“Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with pneumonia, which explains the difficulties I have had physically in the last few months,” Zverev told the German Press Agency. “I have to take care of my health first so that I can compete again as quickly as possible.”
Zverev’s illness forced him to cancel his participation in the 500 event in Beijing. In the Chinese capital he should have been placed second behind the Italian Jannik Sinner. “I am very disappointed that I had to withdraw from the China Open. I will miss my Chinese fans in Beijing and hope to be able to play in front of them again soon,” Zverev continued.
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Not the first illness for Zverev this season
Zverev, who is currently ranked second in the world, has had to struggle with health problems several times this season. At the US Open, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals against eventual finalist Taylor Fritz, he suffered from a cough. After his elimination in the quarterfinals at the Olympics, he complained of circulatory problems. “I have to see what’s wrong with me now,” said Zverev worried at the time. At the Laver Cup he had a fever – probably a symptom of pneumonia.
The tennis stars’ busy schedule could be one of the reasons for their many health problems. Many players, including the up-and-coming Carlos Alcaraz, have complained about this. Alcaraz recently said that the tight tournament schedule was “killing” the players and that many players, including him, were of the opinion that “we have to do something about it.” Zverev also described the season, which runs from the end of December to the end of November, as ” unnecessarily long.”
What will happen next for Zverev is currently uncertain. After his recovery, the Hamburg native hopes to be able to compete in the Masters 1000 tournament from October 2nd to 13th in Shanghai. After that he has the events in Vienna and Paris before going to the ATP finals for the best eight players in Turin. It is still unclear whether Zverev will represent Germany at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga. (LuHa/dpa)
