Alexander Zverev has crashed out of the 2025 Hamburg Open with a shocking loss to Alexandre Muller. However, the German later disclosed the concerning health issues that had prevented him from delivering his best in front of his home crowd.
After his disappointing loss in the Italian Open quarterfinals, Zverev accepted a wildcard to compete at the ATP 500 event in Hamburg. Hoping to regain his form ahead of the French Open, the World No. 3 kicked off his campaign with a 6-1, 7-6(5) win over Aleksandar Kovacevic. He then took on Muller in the second round and suffered a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5) defeat.
Speaking to the press after his loss, Alexander Zverev said that his performance was impacted by his health, as he revealed that he had thrown up multiple times and developed a high fever the night before the match. Nevertheless, the German proudly patted himself on the back for taking the court despite his illness issues and expressed his belief that he was one of only two players that would compete under such conditions.
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"For the fact that I threw up 37 times and had a fever of 39.4 degrees all night, that's actually quite okay," Alexander Zverev said. "I think there are two players in the whole world who would have taken to the court today. I'm one of them. And I'm really proud of that. I was two points away from winning the match. There's a lot to be said in my favour."
Zverev also asserted that while he had delivered a solid performance in the match, Muller had made the "clever" move to take advantage of his health issues and extend the points.
"I think I played a solid and good match. But he realised at some point that I wasn't feeling well and then went on playing the points for as long as possible. That was clever on his part," he added.
After pulling off a stunning upset against Alexander Zverev, Alexandre Muller will square off against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Open.
"Nothing will change for me" - Alexander Zverev on facing illness issues ahead of French Open
In the same press conference, Alexander Zverev said that his early loss at the Hamburg Open could be a blessing in disguise because the unexpected time off would give him the chance to recover from his illness issues.
The German also insisted that his health did not have any bearing on his goals for the French Open, the main draw action of which kicks off on May 25. He expressed his desire to deliver a strong campaign and triumph at the claycourt Major.
"Maybe it's actually a good thing that I now have a few days to control the strain a little," Zverev said. "I'll get healthy first and then see. But nothing will change for me for Paris. I still want to show good tennis there and win a lot of matches."
Alexander Zverev came close to clinching his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros last year. The World No. 3 locked horns with Carlos Alcaraz in the final, with the Spaniard claiming a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory after a closely contested battle.
