Alexander Zverev 'threw up 37 times' and had fever of '39.4 degrees' Celsius before Muller Hamburg loss
ATP
Alexander Zverev hasn't exactly had the year to remember. He went to the Hamburg Open after priorly slating the scheduling of the event as a last minute addition and then promptly lost straight away to Alexandre Muller.
But Zverev had a reasoning behind it that supposedly he threw up 37 times before losing the match to the Frenchman 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5) who reaches the Quarter-Finals.
He also came from 3-5 down in the tie-break to win the match and Zverev said that due to his symptoms, he wouldn't have played if it was in another city. He was hoping to repeat his title run from back in 2023 but it fell flat and it was illness that also saw him fall flat.
"Given the fact that I threw up 37 times and had a fever of 39.4 degrees (Celsius) all night, it was actually quite OK," Zverev said post match.
"If it had been another tournament in a city in another country, then I certainly wouldn't have played."
"I hope I'll get well again quickly," Zverev added. "Nothing has changed in terms of my goals for Paris. I left everything on the court, so I can still be proud."
But it is also not unlike Zverev who previously albeit never confirmed had World No.1 in the palm of his hand including in Acapulco and got unlucky falling early which many attributed to the food poisoning going around the tournament.
He has not bounced back though since and while he wanted matches before Roland Garros, he will likely regret going in the first place. Initially added for some star power after Jannik Sinner and the like all withdrew, Zverev anchored a depleted field but often when this happens, the big name falls as they now have all the pressure on them.
Coupled with the fact that Zverev himself lamented even playing this event priorly due to it not being in the July slot it was in last year and saying that going from there to playing the day after in Paris meant it wasn't worth it.
Wow.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 21, 2025
Alexandre Muller gets another BIG win in 2025, defeats world #3 and top seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5) to reach the QFs in Hamburg.
From 3-5 down in the 3rd set tiebreak... pic.twitter.com/kMsvAHksth
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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