Zverev recalls his toughest moment: "I'm so well this year because of what I went through last year"

Carlos Navarro | 24 Jun 2026 | 18.18

Zverev opened up about the mental struggles he faced last year. Source: Getty

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Alexander Zverev has never had his most prolific tournament at Wimbledon. It is the only Grand Slam where he has not been able to reach the quarterfinals, struggling to adapt to the grass that has highlighted issues in his backhand execution and other deficits that have significantly impacted his performances in London. Now he will return as a Grand Slam champion, all after experiencing the pinnacle of happiness and euphoria in his sporting career in Paris, a reward for a life of sacrifices...

But happy moments hold so much meaning thanks to their coexistence with the moments of greatest difficulty and sadness. Wimbledon precisely witnessed the lowest point in Zverev's career... and it was just last year. It has nothing to do with rankings, the magnitude of defeat, or the surprise of the loss: the symbolism lies in Sascha's mental health, in his emotions after a setback that exposed insecurities, fears, and difficulties in his interaction with the professional circuit.

Zverev speaks about mental health and makes truly powerful statements

After losing to Arthur Rinderknech in the second round, Sascha admitted to feeling empty. Utterly alone every time he stepped onto the court. Suffering mentally as he tried to turn matches around. It was almost a liberating confession, a poignant cry for help that led him to spend his preseason at the Rafa Nadal Academy, seeking solutions to navigate through a potentially significant rough patch. At a mental health forum in Germany, days before returning to London a year later, Sascha opened up and extensively discussed that moment, focusing primarily on the importance of acknowledging when you are struggling, emphasizing that it's okay to seek help.

"No matter how much success you achieve, no matter how much money you have, no matter how stable you are financially, I believe that you can always experience mental health issues. Showing vulnerability, especially nowadays, is perfectly fine. You have to see it that way. You have to think that it's okay if you feel that maybe you're not doing well. I was very, very honest and open about this issue last year, at Wimbledon."

After his loss to Rinderknech at Wimbledon, Zverev says he feels very alone in life & is considering therapy, ‘I’ve never felt this empty before’

“What feels different now compared to when you got to the final in Australia? Is it physical? Mental?”

Zverev: “I would say more… pic.twitter.com/uKYQXWWFVe
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 1, 2025

He suffered a lot mentally. He didn’t know what to do with himself. I actually believe that I'm playing so well this year because of everything I went through last year. Because I also told myself: 'Okay, maybe I'm not feeling so good, I'm not comfortable on the court, I'm not comfortable off the court, something has to change.' The first step to change something is to openly talk about it, with people close to you, with your partner, your siblings, your parents. No matter who, but communicate it; I think that's the first step. From there, everything will get better.". A powerful plea that demonstrates that Sascha may be, possibly, in the best mental state in a long time... which could make him even more dangerous starting next Monday at the All England Tennis Club.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev recuerda su momento más duro: "Estoy tan bien este año por lo que atravesé el año pasado"

Alexander Zverev