Zverev disappoints in Hamburg: Illness stops the home dream!

Zverev disappoints in Hamburg: Illness stops the home dream!

Alexander Zverev ended his dress rehearsal for the upcoming French Open in Hamburg with a defeat. In the round of 16 he had to admit defeat to the French player Alexandre Müller. The match ended 3:6, 6:4, 6:7 (5) and lasted a total of 2:42 hours. Despite his poor health and a very strenuous performance, Zverev showed a fighting spirit on the pitch.

Before the tournament, Zverev suffered from an illness that gave him a body temperature of 39.4 degrees, a fever and severe nausea. He stated that he vomited a total of 37 times. Nevertheless, he decided at short notice to appear at his home tournament. After the match he expressed his pride in his performance as he had given everything, even under these difficult conditions. “Few players would have played under such circumstances,” Zverev said in an interview after being just two points away from victory.

Outlook for the French Open

Despite the defeat, Zverev remains confident about his goals for the French Open, which begins on Sunday. However, he was unsure when he would travel to Paris because he first wanted to recover from the exertions in Hamburg. Zverev initially seemed weak and lacking energy in the match, which was reflected in his style of play.

The Hamburg Open will now continue without German participation, as Justin Engel was also eliminated in the round of 16. Engel lost to number three seed Andrei Rublev 3:6, 5:7, but received applause from the spectators for his performance.

As the tennis world prepares for the French Open, it remains to be seen how Zverev can recover in the coming days to be competitive in Paris. In Hamburg, despite his health problems, he did everything he could to prepare for the tournament.

For more details on Zverev's defeat, visit the articles on South Germans and Tennis.com.