German world number 2 Alexander Zverev revealed on Saturday that he had been diabetic since childhood and that he had just set up his foundation, the "Alexander Zverev Foundation", in order to fight against this disease.

“August 6, 2022 is a very special day for my family and myself.

Today, the Alexander Zverev Foundation was officially born, to help children suffering from type 1 diabetes and help people prevent possible type 2 diabetes by leading a healthy and active life,” wrote the finalist of the US Open 2020 on his Instagram account.

On the same day, Zverev said in an interview with RTL/ntv.

having decided to launch this foundation, based in Hamburg, his hometown, with his brother Mischa Zverev, "to show the world that you shouldn't set limits because of this disease".

The reigning Olympic champion, diagnosed with diabetes at the age of three and a half, confided in a long interview to

L'Equipe

on Monday, where he explains how he manages his disease.

A feeling of shame hard to fade

“I have the reader in my racquet bag.

The ATP authorizes me to use it (…) I control myself at each change of side.

I don't have an insulin pump, I do the injections myself.

I always have my insulin pen with me, ”he explains to the French sports daily.

If the 25-year-old player manages to speak openly about his illness today, this was not always the case.

In L'Equipe, always, Zverev revealed that he had long been "ashamed" of his diabetes.

"I had a lot of bad experiences when I was little," he said.

Sometimes I was invited to school friends' birthday parties and their parents wouldn't let me eat cake.

They said to me: “You have the disease of sugar, you are not allowed to eat it.

“I was excluded.

Today I want to help by telling my story.

Having become a professional, this feeling did not fade away immediately.

“It took me a long time (not to be ashamed anymore).

Around 17-18 years old, when journalists asked me if I was diabetic, I denied it.

In the beginning, even on the circuit, I hid to inject myself with insulin, I did that in the toilets.

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