Alexander Zverev was prohibited from taking insulin on court during changeovers on Monday at the 2023 French Open.
Zverev was facing Grigor Dimitrov and won 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 but the German who has diabetes needs to take insulin to regularly maintain his blood sugar.
Something that of course during a five set contest is more important than ever. During his match against Dimitrov, he decided to take a shot during one of the changeovers.
But he was soon stopped with the officials stating that he wasn't allowed to do it on court.
But even stranger was Zverev being told that he has to use a bathroom break to do it at all and he showed his frustration saying that it is very much life and death for him.
"They said I need to leave the court," Zverev said during a press conference.
"During my last match, they told me then this would count as a toilet break. 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.' 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."
He continued that they also said that a doctor needs to administer the dose and not him despite the fact that Zverev as he pointed out has had the condition since he was three so knows how to administer and regulate it.
"A supervisor entered the room that did not know about this and he got panic and said, 'No, No you can't do that. A doctor needs to come to inject it.' So I told them, 'Look I have diabetes since I am three years old I know exactly what to do.' But he just replied, 'No, a doctor has to do it,'" Zverev continued.
"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 added.
Zverev’s on insulin shot: “They told me it would count as a toilet break. I said ‘Guys come on! I have 2 toilet breaks a match but in a best of 5 match I might have to inject 5 times. I said it can’t be like this bc this means something isn’t allowed that’s necessary for my life”
