"Million articles what Djokovic was drinking but real issues get no importance" - Fans furious at Zverev being denied on-court insulin at French Open
Tennis fans have expressed their displeasure with French Open officials after they prohibited Alexander Zverev from taking insulin shots on the court.
Zverev was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes when he was three years old. The German has already been granted a Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for taking insulin during matches to maintain his blood sugar levels.
However, during his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov at Roland Garros, the World No. 27 was stopped from taking insulin by the officials. They argued that it was "weird" to do it on-court.
"They said it looks weird when I do this on court. If I don't do it, my life will be in danger. But they said it looks weird. This discussion makes no sense," Zevrev said during a press conference.
During the second round, Alexander Zverev left the court to take insulin. However, he was stopped by another French Open supervisor who claimed that only a professional doctor could administer his shots.
Fans were left furious with the harsh behavior of the officials. Taking to social media, one fan lamented that the media gives no attention to real issues while they constantly discuss what Novak Djokovic "was drinking."
"That is simply awful. Shame on you @rolandgarros and where is @atptour. Where is the outrage by “media”regarding this? There were a million articles regarding what Djokovic was drinking but real issues get no importance. I hope @ptpaplayers takes this up because ATP is spineless," the fan tweeted.
@schnejan That is simply awful. Shame on you @rolandgarros and where is @atptour
Where is the outrage by “media”regarding this? There were a million articles regarding what Djokovic was drinking but real issues get no importance
I hope @ptpaplayers takes this up because ATP is spineless
Another fan questioned how a life-saving insulin for physical health looks "weird" in an era when there are exclusive apps focused on mental well-being.
"Whew… again, where is the nuance? Life-saving insulin for physical health looks weird while they are focused on apps to help with mental health," the fan wrote.
Whew… again, where is the nuance? Life-saving insulin for physical health looks weird while they are focused on apps to help with mental health. This is why my great-grandmother told me when I was 12 that common sense ain’t all that common. twitter.com/schnejan/statu…
Here are a few more fan reactions:
@schnejan Hopefully he can contribute to ending the stigma he’s describing. Maybe his story will make this topic less “weird” and that would be a good thing because a lot of people have diabetes.
This is totally disgusting..
what do you think guys? twitter.com/schnejan/statu…
It looks weird because no one has done it/was allowed to do it in public. Its literally 2023 and y’all are gonna act up because you saw a diabetic inject himself with insulin? It takes almost no time with modern insulin pens. twitter.com/schnejan/statu…
@schnejan It amazes me in 2023 we still have these sorts of problems 🤦♂️ media need to do better
We need to get rid of the stigma attached to diabetics injecting insulin in public spaces @rolandgarros.
Be part of the solution twitter.com/schnejan/statu…
It's really unbelievable. twitter.com/schnejan/statu…
Biggest worry for zverev going forward. twitter.com/schnejan/statu…
@schnejan In utter awe to read this.
Alexander Zverev defeats Grigor Dimitrov to advance to French Open quarter-finals
Despite his argument with the officials over the insulin issue, Alexander Zverev remained focused enough to prevail over Dimitrov 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. With this win, he advanced to the quarter-finals of the ongoing French Open.
Zverev will next square off against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Wednesday, June 7. This will be their first-ever meeting on the tour.
Etcheverry comes in on the back of an impressive straight-sets win over Yoshihito Nishioko in the fourth round.