Alexander Zverev just pulled out of the 2025 Swiss Open in Gstaad, and tournament organizers are pretty bummed about it.
The world No. 3 was supposed to be their biggest star. You don’t see top-five players at clay tournaments right after Wimbledon very often, so this was a big deal for them.
It’s actually kind of surprising that Zverev signed up in the first place. Sure, he loves clay courts – he’s even said the French Open is probably his best shot at winning his first Grand Slam. But jumping from Wimbledon’s grass straight to clay? That’s not typical.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Zverev | 28 | 6,885 | 34 - 10 |
Well, he’s changed his mind. Zverev officially withdrew on Friday, citing "personal reasons." He didn’t give any more details than that.
We can’t know for sure what’s going on without more info from Zverev or his team. But his comments at Wimbledon might give us some clues.
A Tough Time at Wimbledon
Zverev had a shocker at Wimbledon – he lost in the first round to Arthur Rinderknech. Grass isn’t his favorite surface, but he was still expected to win that match easily.
What he said afterward was pretty eye-opening.
Zverev admitted he’s been struggling mentally for a while now. He said everything feels challenging right now, and he’s even open to seeing a therapist.
The way he talked about it – his tone, his body language – you could tell he’s really going through it. Those comments made headlines everywhere, and suddenly everyone was talking about mental health in tennis.
Support from Fellow Players
Other players stepped up to offer advice. Aryna Sabalenka encouraged him to keep talking about his feelings, whether that’s with a therapist or people close to him.
Novak Djokovic really seemed to get it. The two are friends off court, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion suggested maybe Zverev should take a break from tennis altogether.
Maybe that’s exactly what Zverev’s doing now. The 28-year-old has played a ton of tournaments this season. Being burnt out could definitely be making his stress and anxiety worse.
He’s not the only one dealing with this stuff, either.
Mental Health Struggles Across Tennis
Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up before Wimbledon about struggling with stress and anxiety over the past few years. That’s probably been tough enough on its own.
But then things got even messier for him. A few days after those comments, reports came out that he and Paula Badosa had broken up – again.
His new coach, Goran Ivanisevic, didn’t help matters. After Tsitsipas retired with an injury at Wimbledon, Ivanisevic made some brutal public comments about his fitness. He said he’d never seen a player so unprepared.
That’s pretty harsh coming from your own coach. You have to wonder if Tsitsipas and Ivanisevic will even stay together after those unexpected public criticisms.
It really shows how much pressure these guys are under, both on and off the court. Sometimes taking a step back – like Zverev seems to be doing – might be the smartest move.