LONDON: Alexander Zverev admits he may need to undergo some form of therapy after speaking frankly about his struggles both on and off the court following his first round exit at Wimbledon.
The German world No.3 told reporters at The All England Club that he feels ‘very alone’ at times and has been dealing with these feelings since losing in the final of the Australian Open earlier this year. Zverev was knocked out of the tournament on Tuesday by French underdog Arthur Rinderknech in what was his earliest exit from a Grand Slam event since 2019.
“I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open,” said Zverev.
“I’m trying to find ways, trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way.
“I feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice.”
Elaborating further about his personal life, the German worryingly said he is ‘lacking joy in everything he does.’ This includes winning titles, which he did in April at the Bavarian Championships in Germany.
“Maybe for the first time in my life I’ll probably need it,” the 28-year-old replied when asked if he might need therapy.
“I’ve been through a lot of difficulties in the media. I’ve been through a lot of difficulties in life, generally. I’ve never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well.
“Even when I’m winning, even when I’m winning like in Stuttgart or Halle, it’s not necessarily, like, a feeling that I used to get where I was happy, over the moon, I felt motivated to keep going. It’s just not there right now for me, which, again, is the first time in my life that I’m feeling.”
Zverev still insists that his desire for Grand Slam glory is still there after settling for runner-up at a Grand Slam tournament three times. Outside the majors, he has won every other type of tournament, including the Olympics, two year-end championships and seven Masters 1000 tournaments.
However, silverware is not the main priority for Zverev now. It is looking after his mental health.
“It’s a feeling that you’re going to bed and you’re just not really motivated for the next day, you don’t really feel like waking up and going to work,” he explained.
“I think everybody had this feeling, it doesn’t matter what job you had. As an athlete, it kind of reflects on performance a lot. That’s more what I have right now.”
