A tough defeat against Fritz
Alexander Zverev suffered his seventh consecutive loss to Taylor Fritz at the Halle Open, falling 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 in a semifinal that lasted two hours and 39 minutes. The American extended his head-to-head lead to 10-5, while Zverev, fresh off his Roland Garros triumph, struggled to maintain his level throughout the match.
Faulty glucose sensor
After the defeat, Zverev explained that complications with his diabetes had compromised his performance. “I had extreme problems with my blood sugar today because, unfortunately, before the match the device – the sensor I use – displayed an incorrect blood sugar reading, so I injected far too much insulin,” he said. He later added, “Then I checked it myself, and my blood sugar was actually already low, so I thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be a difficult day,’” he commented.
Sugar crash during play
Because his blood sugar was already low, the excess insulin triggered a crash. Zverev revealed that he had to consume between 300 and 350 grams of sugar gel in the first 45 minutes to stabilize himself. The emergency intake left him physically weakened and unable to sustain his level against Fritz. “I had to consume almost 350 grams of sugar. It’s a bit like drinking three and a half liters of cola during a match,” he explained.
First malfunction since 2016
Zverev noted that he has used the same glucose sensor since 2016–17 and that this was the first time it had given a false reading. He admitted that the malfunction forced him into a situation where his body could not cope, ultimately costing him the match and exposing the challenges of managing diabetes at the highest level of competition.
Alexander Zverev in 2026
Now the world no.3, the German played his last match on the 20th of June when he lost to world no.9 Taylor Fritz 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 in the semifinal in Halle (draw).
This season the German has managed to achieve a compiled 38-10 record. Zverev clinched 1 title at the French Open. Alexander was the runner-up in Madrid.
