![\"Paddy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/09411d75f21fb7c36947a0ff3c0bcab6c840e914.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cBut I would say that I don\u2019t necessarily know, or think, that I would be better without diabetes. I don\u2019t think that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is part of my life. It is who I am these days, and maybe it even helped me. As I said, I had to grow up faster. I had to know what is good for me, what is bad for me. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was kind of pushing my limits, also maybe a bit more because of the stubbornness that I also have. I\u2019m not unhappy about anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got diagnosed more than 24 years ago, and I feel like diabetes 24 years ago and diabetes now are very, very different, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of doctors, a lot of specialists, were suggesting professional sports with diabetes back then was like an impossible thing. It was not something that was very, very common. But luckily for me, I had a very stubborn mother, and she was basically saying, \u2018My son wants to do something, we\u2019re going to do it\u2019 and we won\u2019t let \u2026 this illness limit ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed out that Nacho Fernandez, one of Spain\u2019s best footballers, and other gold medal-winning Olympians also had type 1 diabetes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always felt like you could do anything with diabetes, and if you\u2019re managing it right, and if you have it under control, I don\u2019t see why there should be a reason not to be professional.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paddy McCartin (right) and his brother Tom (left) after the Swans\u2019 2022 grand final loss to Geelong.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
A pump that can be worn on the body to regulate insulin levels has been advantageous in managing diabetes for Zverev and former AFL player Paddy McCartin. The Medtronic pumps \u2013 they cost $8000 and last four years \u2013 are helpful in training and life, but can\u2019t be worn in matches.<\/p>\n
McCartin, like Zverev, was diagnosed at a young age but not deterred by his diabetes.<\/p>\n
McCartin\u2019s career, which began at St Kilda as a No.1 draft pick and ended playing alongside his brother Tom at the Swans, was cut short by multiple concussions.<\/p>\n
He doesn\u2019t believe there is any correlation between the diabetes and the concussions he suffered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was never any sort of signs for that. I think it was just a coincidence, and I was a bit unlucky,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d definitely looked into it for sure. It would have been silly not to, with the amount of them I had.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCartin, like Zverev, was very private about the diabetes for a long period in his career but was encouraged when he arrived at the Swans to open up about it to the players. It helped that Tom was there with him when he did, but he felt it was cathartic.<\/p>\n
Follow our live Australian Open blog each day from January 18 for results, news, analysis and interviews.<\/p>\n