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As the first round of the Wimbledon championship is going on, the competition this year is getting more and more intense with each passing day of the tournament. Some who were hailed as the decorated players of the game are struggling to find their rhythm in the initial stage of the tournament. One such instance occurred with the highest ranked men’s singles player at this year’s All England Club, Alexander Zverev.
On Tuesday June 2, Zverev suffered a surprising first-round exit losing to France’s Arthur Rinderknech in what was a gruelling five-set battle on the Centre Court. In the post match press conference, the three time Grand Slam runner-up opened up about his mental health struggles following heartbreaking loss. During the interaction he admitted that he had been finding it difficult to cope with life because of the pressure of his tennis career. “It’s funny, I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open. I am 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” he said.
The mental toll has become overwhelming: Alexander Zverev
The 28-year-old German revealed that he is thinking of starting therapy, acknowledging the emotional toll has become overwhelming. Zverev said, “ Maybe for the first time in my life I’ll probably need it. I’ve been through a lot of difficulties. 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.” Zverev also spoke about the diminishing satisfaction he gets from winning matches, something that once drove him to perform at the highest level.
The match against Rinderknech lasted for four hours and 40 minutes and ended with a scoreline 7-6 (7/3), 6-7(8/10), 6-3, 6-7 (5/7) and 6/4 in Rinderknech’s favour. In nine appearances at the grass court Slam, Zverev has never advanced beyond the fourth round. While he has managed to reach the second round in his last 20 Grand Slam appearances, Wimbledon remains elusive for the German star.
