“The Olympic Village wasn't the best, I'm sorry to say”: Zverev reflects on Paris 2024

Alexander Zverev didn't leave with the best impression of the Olympic Village at Paris 2024. The World No. 4 was unable to defend the gold medal he won at Tokyo 2021, falling in the quarterfinals to Lorenzo Musetti and missing out on a chance to compete for an Olympic medal.

The German is competing this week at the Canadian Open and has reached the quarterfinals after defeating Jordan Thompson and Holger Rune in straight sets. After beating the Dane, Zverev spoke with Tennis Channel about his recent Olympic experience.

The 2-time Grand Slam runner-up acknowledged that his experience in Paris wasn't the best: "I preferred Tokyo, because I prefer winning gold, obviously, but it's always special to take part in the Olympic Games,” he said.

“This year it was strange because it was at Roland-Garros, a place we all know very well. But at the same time, it was very different. The Olympic Village wasn't the best, I'm sorry to say,” the former World No. 2 added. “I stayed there, the whole German team stayed there, our federation wanted us to. We suffered a little from the food, we suffered a little from the sleeping conditions.”

“There was no air conditioning in the rooms either, which was a bit difficult for me, but it was the same for everyone, so I'm not complaining,” Zverev claimed. “Because of that, I think Tokyo was much better, and the organization was much better too.”

“Nevertheless, it was a great experience to be there with all the athletes, and it was nice to be back in the Olympic Village. But winning is always the fun part, and this time I didn't manage it,” he concluded.