- Alexander Zverev is one of the world’s best men’s tennis stars at the moment
- But there’s a catch – the German doesn’t enjoy eating food, not even on holidau
- The world No 2 says he has to be ‘forced to eat’ and hardly has anything
Healthy eating is typically high on the priority list for a leading athlete, but world No 2 tennis star Alexander Zverev loathes it.
Not necessarily the healthy part, just the concept of eating in general.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist has revealed that he has to be ‘forced to eat’ and would happily trade his sumptuous meals for a pill if he could.
He told MagentaTV show Bestbesetzung: ‘For me, eating is a waste of time. If they could give me a pill and I’d never have to eat again, I’d take it.
‘I’m not a bad eater, but I eat incredibly little. I have to be forced to eat.
‘I don’t enjoy the food on vacation. I’m not someone who says, “Wow, I’m having a great time.”
World No 2 men’s tennis star Alexander Zverev says he finds eating a ‘waste of time’
The German, 27, revealed he has to be ‘forced to eat’ and doesn’t even enjoy doing it on holiday
His comments come as a surprise given his success, including an Olympic gold medal in 2021
‘I’m the kind of guy who comes back from vacation two kilos lighter.’
It is an astonishing admission for him to make, given how key nutrition is to a successful life in sport.
And for it to come from Zverev, one of the foremost male tennis players in the world, is even more surprising.
The German became his country’s first-ever men’s gold medallist at the Olympics when he claimed the top prize in Tokyo in 2021.
He has also reached three Grand Slam finals at the 2020 US Open, 2024 French Open, and this year’s Australian Open.
If there is any comfort in being three times a runner-up, it is that Dominic Thiem endured the same heartbreak before beating him in the US Open final.
Zverev took Thiem to five sets, as he did to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros last year, although Jannik Sinner swept him aside in three in Melbourne earlier this year.
He has had a pained history against Sinner, having lost to him at in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati last year as well.
But at least the 27-year-old had the good humour to claim a minor win over his rival in January after the Australian Open concluded.
Zverev gleefully revealed that he had been booked into a seat in front of Sinner on their flight out of the land Down Under.
‘Well at least I’m ahead of him this time,’ Zverev posted with laughing face emojis.
One wonders if Zverev indulged in the flight’s culinary options.