I Feel Very Alone Out There

By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Photo credit: Hannah Peters/Getty

Wimbledon—Tennis is a solitary sport.

A candid Alexander Zverev confesses he feels alone in life and can’t connect to the joy of playing at the moment.

The third-seeded Zverev was the highest men’s seed to fall in Wimbledon’s opening round.

Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech completed a five-set win over Zverev today winning 44 of 55 trips to net and denying all nine break points he faced.

Afterward, Zverev said the prestigious Centre Court lawn felt like a deep hole he couldn’t escape.

Six months after his surge to the Australian Open final, Zverev suffered his second career Wimbledon first-round exit and opened up on the malaise he’s feeling.

“I would say more mental, probably. It’s funny, I feel very alone out there at times,” Zverev said. “I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open. Yeah, just don’t know. I’m trying to find ways, trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice.”

What’s next?

For now, Zverev said he’s planning to take time off before launching his hard-court season in Canada.

The three-time major finalist said he may see a therapist—and is considering a new coach as well.

“Yeah, maybe. Maybe for the first time in my life I’ll probably need [therapy],” Zverev said. “I’ve been through a lot of difficulties. I’ve been through a lot of difficulties in the media. I’ve been through a lot of difficulties in life generally. I’ve never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It’s not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well.

“Even when I’m winning, even when I’m winning like in Stuttgart or Halle, it’s not necessarily, like, a feeling that I used to get where I was happy, over the moon, I felt motivated to keep going. It’s just not there right now for me, which, again, is the first time in my life which I’m feeling.”

While Zverev has worked with high-profile coaches in the past—including David Ferrer, who helped guide him to the US Open final and former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has been exceptionally successful coaching Carlos Alcaraz—he continues to return to the familiarity of his father, Alexander Zverev, Sr., as coach.

In his parting presser today, Zverev said it’s possible he could hire a new coach and conceded he’s out of answers on court.

“Possibly,” Zverev said when asked about a new coach. “As I said, yeah, it’s a different feeling right now for me. I can’t speak for the moment. But I think I’ll have answers by Canada.”

Still, the 28-year-old German reiterated he’s lonely and out of answers.

“It’s not a feeling on a tennis court, it’s just a life feeling in general,” Zverev said. “As I said, I never felt this way before. I don’t know. It’s difficult to find joy outside the tennis court for me at the moment. It’s not an excuse or anything. I think Arthur deserved to win today. It’s nothing that.

“It’s something I’ve felt for the past few months. Again, I just feel generally very, very alone and very lonely. I don’t know. Just never felt that way before. I don’t have the answers right now.”