Alexander Zverev is on cloud 9. With consistent performances across tournaments this year, he has managed to dig deep at the Miami Masters and reached the semifinals by defeating Fábián Marozsán 6-3, 7-5. Not only is Zverev shining on the court but also off of it, as he was involved in a noble cause with his foundation, the Alexander Zverev Foundation.  A few years ago, the German launched the organization to help people battling diabetes, especially children. Zverev star himself is a Type-1 diabetic and has to take insulin regularly, something he only revealed a few years ago.

While suffering from this disease, Zverev has struggled to take insulin on the court, with different tournaments having different rules. Moreover, he was also involved in a controversy surrounding this at the French Open last year. But his experiences have only bolstered his desire for his foundation to do well.

Alexander Zverev Foundation involved in a game-changing noble deed

Zverev, who was the prime face behind launching the foundation, also has the support of his family in it. The foundation provides life-saving insulin to people in need in developing countries. Additionally, it also collects donations from its partners and other companies for this cause, and has successfully collected nearly $11 Million that is set to be used to help young children battling Type-1 diabetes.

Talking about the motivation behind launching the charity organization, Zverev said, “As a type 1 diabetic myself, I want to encourage children with diabetes to never give up on their dreams no matter what others might say to you…I used to hide to take injections. I keep a meter in my kit bag, which the ATP allows.”

Despite the ATP allowing it, the French Open authorities rejected his request regarding the injection last year. As a result, a controversy ensued when the French Open authorities denied Zverev from taking insulin on the court, apparently not fond of watching someone inject themselves in open view.

When Zverev took a shot at the French Open authorities

While he regularly takes insulin shots at other ATP tournaments, Alexander Zverev was denied taking it during the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. They turned down his request despite stating that his life was in danger, with the reason cited that it “looked weird” for him to take insulin on the court.

DIVE DEEPER: Why Does Alexander Zverev Take Insulin During Matches? All You Need to Know About the German’s Diabetic History

Zverev hit back at them, saying, “Why does it look weird? That I dope myself?” Further, the officials suggested that he take the insulin shot during the toilet break. However, Zverev was required to take it five times during the five-set match and there are only two toilet breaks allowed in a match.

He will now be vying for his maiden title this year at the Miami Open, facing Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals later today. It’ll be interesting to see who comes through in this exciting contest.