Tennis-Zverev says glucose sensor malfunction affected Halle semi-final loss to Fritz

Alexander Zverev lost to Taylor Fritz in the Halle Open semi-finals, citing a malfunctioning glucose sensor that left him feeling unwell and affecting his performance.

French Open champion Alexander Zverev said a ​malfunctioning glucose sensor left him feeling ​unwell during his Halle ‌Open semi-final ​defeat by Taylor Fritz on Saturday. Zverev, who came into the match with a poor recent record against the ‌American after losing their previous six meetings, lost 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 in a contest lasting two hours and 39 minutes.

"I had huge problems with the sugar because the sensor ‌I use gave me a completely incorrect reading. It indicated very high ‌values when they were actually low, so I injected much more insulin than I should have," the world number three said after the match. "During the match, or rather during the first 45 minutes, ⁠I ​had to consume about ⁠350 grams of sugar. I felt absolutely terrible."

Despite the setback, Zverev said Fritz deserved the victory. "Nevertheless, ⁠I fought, gave it my all, and in the end, it must also be acknowledged ​that Taylor (Fritz) deserved the win. He played better than me today." The German, ⁠who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of four, uses Medtronic technology to ⁠help ​regulate his glucose levels and support his diabetes management on and off the court.

"This is the first time something like this has happened to me. I've ⁠been using these sensors since 2016 or 2017, and in nine years, I had ⁠never seen such ⁠a big error," he said. Zverev added that the issue was not a concern ahead of Wimbledon, which runs from June ‌29 to ‌July 12.