World Number seven Alexander Zverev pulled off a career-best run at majors during the Australian Open 2020. With a win over the three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, Sascha earned his first semifinal spot at a major event.
However, throughout his stay in Australia in the month of January, Zverev wasn’t keeping well. He visited China towards the end of the year 2019 as he was scheduled to play an exhibition match against the Swiss Roger Federer.
Also, Sascha’s girlfriend Brenda Patea was accompanying him in China and later in Australia, and both of them were sick during their trip in Asia-Pacific.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Earlier, the couple treated it to be a regular flu, but after the coronavirus outbreak became a pandemic, they suspect about infecting the deadly virus before the beginning of 2020.
Alexander Zverev reveals his illness
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“My friend Brenda and I were in China on December 28,” Zverev told Bild. “You can’t imagine how I coughed for a month in Australia. I had a fever for two or three days and I coughed for five or six hours. Brenda too.”
“We didn’t know what it was. It was a cough that I never had. I had no pain, but I coughed continuously every ten seconds. I had no pain, but I coughed continuously every ten seconds.”
Despite having a decent end of the season in 2019, Sascha is not happy with his previous year’s performance. “The situation is tough for me because I played very badly in 2019 for a long time. I have hardly any points to defend this year. Now I could collect a lot, but I can’t and I am stuck in seventh place.” Last year the German claimed a clay-court title in Geneva.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
With the cancellation of Wimbledon 2020, the tennis tour has been suspended until mid-July. The players are hoping for the occurrence of the US Open this year, but presently, New York is falling short of hospital beds as the number of COVID-19 cases is exponentially increasing.