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Alexander Zverev has come under fire for a controversial take on athletes at the French Open. The German recently stated that sometimes it’s easier for sporting stars to be ‘stupid’, a comment that irked tennis enthusiasts and players alike.
On Friday, June 5, Zverev was in action for his semifinals encounter at Roland Garros. The World No.3 took on rising star Jakub Mensik for the match, ousting the Czech player 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. After his win, the second seed was asked about his thought process going into a match, to which he responded,
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“Pure emptiness. There’s absolutely nothing in my head. To be honest, though, we’re athletes. Very few of us have anything in our heads, anyways. So sometimes it’s easier to be stupid and not to think too much.”
Reacting to Alexander Zverev’s statement, Argentinian tennis star Andrea Collarini criticised the 29-year-old, writing on Instagram,
“This isn’t the first time he’s said it. Playing the Roland Garros final doesn’t give you the power to speak for everyone. What a foolish guy. Go Fla (for Cobolli).”
Former French tennis star Alize Cornet also had some harsh words for the German, saying,
“The uselessness of this statement. Saying that athletes have nothing in their skulls. Let him speak for himself, but don’t lump us all into the same bag. It’s a huge lack of respect for the players and for the athletes.”
Fans were also left annoyed at Alexander Zverev’s statement and were quick to let their feelings show, with on X user writing,
“So he’s a sore loser, an extremely boring tennis player, a deadbeat father, a domestic abuser and now he’s confirmed that he’s brainless too.”
Alexander Zverev set to take on Flavio Cobolli for French Open finals
Alexander Zverev began his campaign at the French Open with straight set wins over Benjamin Bonzi and Tomas Machac. The German then survived a brief scare against Quentin Halys, before going on to defeat Jesper de Jong and Rafael Jodar. For his semifinals encounter, Zverev outdid Jakub Mensik.
Up next, the 29-year-old will now take on Flavio Cobolli in the finals of the French Open. Cobolli’s time in Italy so far has seen him defeat the likes of Leaner Tien, Zachary Svajda and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Over the course of their careers, Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli have competed against each other four times, with the German clinching the win on three of these occasions. The duo are now scheduled to return to action on Sunday, June 7.
Edited by Riddhi Acharya
