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Tennis – Wimbledon Championship 2026 – Day 14 LONDON, ENGLAND – Sunday, July 12, 2026: Alexander Zverev GER arrives for the Gentlemen s Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Photo by Kirsten Holst/Propaganda LONDON All England Lawn Tennis and Croq GREATER LONDON ENGLAND PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: xKirstenxHolstx 2026-07-12-018-Wimbledon_Day_14
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Tennis – Wimbledon Championship 2026 – Day 14 LONDON, ENGLAND – Sunday, July 12, 2026: Alexander Zverev GER arrives for the Gentlemen s Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Photo by Kirsten Holst/Propaganda LONDON All England Lawn Tennis and Croq GREATER LONDON ENGLAND PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: xKirstenxHolstx 2026-07-12-018-Wimbledon_Day_14
Alexander Zverev was spotted checking his phone and taking an insulin shot after winning the opening set of the Wimbledon final against Jannik Sinner, and while phones are banned for players during matches, the German has a very good reason for the exception.
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Why Does Alexander Zverev Use His Phone During Wimbledon Matches?
Zverev was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at four and has dealt with it all his career. He wears a continuous glucose monitor that sends readings directly to a mobile phone screen, so he can check his levels at halftime and take insulin if necessary, as he did after the first set on Sunday.
Why Doesn’t Zverev Break Wimbledon Rules by Using a Phone?
Under Wimbledon and LTA rules, phones and smart devices must be switched off and stored away during play, with breaches potentially leading to immediate disqualification and formal investigation, since a device could enable coaching or outside communication. However, there are medical exemptions. The All England Club maintains a list of players who have diabetes and are allowed to use a device to monitor their glucose. Zverev is on that list. Most importantly, the phone he uses in court doesn’t have a SIM card and is solely used for data uploads from his monitor.
“That’s why the umpires allow me to check my phone, so I don’t have to poke my finger every changeover,” he explained.
Has Alexander Zverev Spoken About His Diabetes?
Zverev has been open about his condition and the technology that helps him compete. “I have two phones with me, actually. One is just a phone which doesn’t even have a SIM card or anything like that,” he said. “Sometimes it doesn’t find the signal quick enough, and then I do have to poke my finger, but fortunately for me, I think diabetes has become easier over the past few years with technology.”
The risks remain real, though. A monitor malfunction at the Halle Open in June saw him inject far too much insulin, leaving him feeling “absolutely terrible” and forcing him to consume around 350g of sugar to recover.
This is a developing story…
