Alexander Zverev caused concern following his comments after losing in the first round of Wimbledon.
Zverev was beaten by Arthur Rinderknech in his first round match at Wimbledon, with the world number three one of many top seeded casualties already at SW19.
This is the first time that he has lost in the first round of a Grand Slam since 2019, with Zverev paying for his busy schedule in recent weeks.
After the match he admitted that he felt ’empty’, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka offering Zverev some advice.
Someone closer to Zverev is his brother, former ATP professional tennis player Mischa, who has now provided an update on his state of mind.
Mischa Zverev provides an update on his brother after his Wimbledon defeat
Alexander Zverev is currently in unfamiliar territory, already being out of a Grand Slam tournament before the second round.
His post-match comments about ‘lacking joy’ alarmed some people, but his former top-30 ranked brother Mischa has provided reassurance that he appeared to be in a better frame of mind when speaking to him after his Wimbledon defeat.
“He’s doing well,” Mischa said when speaking on Amazon Prime Video Germany. “He has lost. Of course you’re sad and disappointed, but that’s all part of it. But he’s fine, not like the last few years when he twisted his ankle or anything. It’s sad. It’s a shame that he lost.
“I don’t know what [his statements] do to me, this is the first time I’ve heard that. If he says something about it, it’s good, I’m mostly a listener. Nothing major has been signalled, I’m learning a lot of things from you too.
“I’ve just been to see him. He seemed to be okay. We talked about various things, including positive things, including the match. We also talked about things that are fun and that we can do in the coming weeks. But it all seemed positive.”
However, when adding these comments later in the conversation, Mischa suggested that Alexander should take perspective from his defeat in the grand scheme of things.
“Well, life in many countries is very, very hard,” Mischa continued. “I think life is much harder for many children in Africa than it is for a tennis player at Wimbledon.
“Having my own children I’ve become very down-to-earth and think very rational about it. Of course the life is hard, but there are millions of other people who have a hard life, but we are in the public eye very much.
“Of course I look at everything. But a day or two after an event, we get together again and talk about the issue again. A few hours or a few minutes after an event, people are still completely different. I observe and then try to help, if I can help.
“The year started with the final in Australia, then immediately to South America, he really wanted to keep playing. And then one thing really led to another. A few close losses, then it’s also an emotional rollercoaster. You imagined the year would be different and now it’s turned out differently.
“Then you feel something that you perhaps didn’t even realise before. Then these things come up and then you just say it. Maybe you talk to him in five days and he says, ‘you know what, that’s how it was at that moment.’ I take it all in and I take it seriously.”
What is next for Alexander Zverev?
Despite the next Grand Slam tournament taking place on hard courts at the US Open, Zverev’s next scheduled tournament is on clay.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist is entered to play the ATP 250 event in Gstaad, where he will be the top seed.
That event will begin on Monday, July 14, after the conclusion of Wimbledon, before Zverev then heads to North America to transition to hard courts.
After Wimbledon, Zverev has 1,330 ranking points to defend up to and including the US Open, where he lost in the quarter-finals last year.
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