Alexander Zverev’s Mother Gets Honest About His Health Issues

Alexander Zverev’s rise to the top of the tennis world has been defined not only by his talent and skill on the court but also by his lifelong battle with type 1 diabetes.

In a candid interview, his mother, Irina Zverev, opened up about the immense challenges the family faced when he was first diagnosed as a child. Recalling the early days, Irina revealed just how difficult life became after the diagnosis.

“Back then we had to wake him up three times a night to measure and then give him his injections. But he always wanted to run around or jump on the trampoline instead of getting the injections,” she said in an interview with Medtronic Diabetes.

Alexander Zverev's Doctors Said He'd 'Never' Get Better After Diabetes Diagnosis

She admitted that it was a steep learning curve for both parents and child.

“Parents have to do a lot with their children so that they can understand their body. My husband and I were fully involved. Until he was 12 years old, when he was still a boy, we had to get up three times a night.”

The family’s ordeal began with what seemed like a simple illness. “The week before the initial diagnosis he had a stomach flu and wasn’t eating well and was drinking a lot. We went to the doctor and got the diagnosis right away. And we kept asking, ‘When will he get better?’ Every time the answer was the same: never again. That was very frustrating for us,” she recalled.