Alexander Zverev sounds off on French Open disallowing him to inject insulin on court

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Alexander Zverev voiced his frustration after apparently anot being allowed to take insulin on the court during his French Open round-of-16 match against Grigor Dimitrov. Zverev, 26, revealed last year that as a kid he was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes.

Zverev usually injects insulin on the court but apparently at the French Open he was told he would need to leave the court to complete the action. But when Zverev was told earlier in the tournament that leaving the court to take insulin would count as a bathroom action, he started explaining that could put his health and well-being in danger since players are allowed to take only two bathroom breaks per match, while he sometimes injects insulin four or five times during the match.

After beating Dimitrov and progressing into the French Open quarterfinal, Zverev was asked by the German journalist about the discussion he had regarding his insulin shot.

Zverev on the French Open not allowing him to inject insulin on the court

"This question should not be for me.

At ATP tournaments it is very easy. I inject the insulin on the court during the changeovers like you all see it regularly. Here in Paris, it is not allowed for me on the court. They said I need to leave the court. 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.

During the second round there was a discussion so I went out to inject the Insulin. Then 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.

I told him that this is a wrongdoing because a normal doctor can't help me, if he is not specialised he as not the right data how much I have to inject. So I told them: 'Look I have had Diabetes since I am three years old I know exactly what to do' But he just replied: 'No, a doctor has to do it.

So this was another discussion. Today. I finally told them: please tell me what I need to do - and then it's ok' If I need to do it outside Im happy to do it there it just takes five seconds. Just let me do it, better on-court.

But they said it looks weird when I do this on court. But this is not a clever take because If I don't do it, my life will be in danger. But they said it looks weird. I said: ‚How does it look like? That I dope myself?' This discussion makes no sense," Zverev said, via Jannik Schneider.

Zverev who published in 2022 that he has type 1 diabetes since he is 3 years old and started a foundation was asked in german press about the discussion today. He said other than at ATP tournaments here he is not allowed to inject Insulin on court "cause it looks weird"

answer👇 pic.twitter.com/93xmuGkFwu — Jannik Schneider (@schnejan) June 5, 2023

Still, it has been a very positive French Open for Zverev, who made the quarterfinal.