MELBOURNE, Jan 26 (Reuters) – (This Jan 26 story has been corrected to clarify that Zverev uses Medtronic technology, in paragraph 11)<\/p>\n
On tennis’s biggest stages, Alexander Zverev plays by the arena’s timing, the serve clock and the changeover, while a quieter countdown of his blood sugar runs beneath the noise.<\/p>\n
Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n “There are definitely two games happening at the same time: there’s the match everyone sees and then there’s the one only I feel,” Zverev told Reuters recently, describing life with type 1 diabetes.<\/p>\n “If I don’t manage my diabetes properly, I can’t compete at the level I expect.”<\/p>\n The German third seed will play Learner Tien on Tuesday for a place in the semi-finals, a year after losing the decider in Melbourne to Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old world number three has won an Olympic gold medal, two ATP Finals titles and reached three Grand Slam finals but is still without the major trophy he craves.<\/p>\n Diagnosed with diabetes at four, he says the condition is not a hurdle so much as a second match running under the first, one that punishes haste and rewards routine.<\/p>\n “Most of the time it’s preparation that keeps them aligned,” he said. “When something unexpected happens, I’ve learned to stay calm and trust the systems I have in place.”<\/p>\n That second match is mostly hidden, he said, managed in the quiet gaps between points and changeovers.<\/p>\n “Probably something as simple as when to take a sip from my bottle or choose to have an energy gel.<\/p>\n “From the outside it just looks like a routine changeover but I’m already planning my next change of ends.”<\/p>\n During matches and away from the court, he uses Medtronic technology to help regulate his glucose and support his diabetes management.<\/p>\n His career has also drawn scrutiny beyond results.<\/p>\n He settled a case last year over allegations he pushed and strangled a former girlfriend, which he denied, and the ATP later dropped another probe citing insufficient evidence.<\/p>\n On court, Zverev’s attention turns to seemingly insignificant decisions that fans would never notice, choices tied to managing diabetes alongside the tennis score.<\/p>\n “These are tiny decisions, but they matter,” he said.<\/p>\n “You don’t need to stop the match or make a big moment out of it. It’s about staying one step ahead so the tennis can stay in the focus.”<\/p>\n Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford <\/p>\n Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab<\/a><\/p>\n