Alexander Zverev: Why Type 1 diabetes didn't stop me from becoming World No. 1.

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No words can truly describe this year.

Two Grand Slam titles, countless memories and today, I woke up as the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. It is very special. To be able to feel what it is like being on top of the world is amazing.

I’ve been able to win many important tournaments in my career. But having the No. 1 next to my name is such a special feeling that is impossible to describe.

More than four years ago, I reached World No. 2 for the first time. Sometimes you’ve got to wait for the best things in life. All I can say is I am thankful, especially for those who have helped me along the way.

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When I was four years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. When that happened, my mom said, ‘Okay, he's still going to be able to play tennis. He's still going to be able to achieve the dreams that he has’.

No matter what obstacle was going to be in my way, she was not going to let anything stop me. I don't want to say living with Type 1 diabetes helped me in my tennis career, or in life in general. But it definitely made me grow up a bit quicker than I probably would have done without it.

I still remember going to school at six years old, when I had to take care of my diabetes myself for multiple hours every day. That's when you start to realise, ‘Okay, you have to inject yourself, you have to measure your sugar when you eat’ and stuff like that. Those were the first moments when I realised I needed to take responsibility for my own health, which most kids don’t need to think about.

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I was quite insecure about the illness early on, especially in my early days on Tour. I was trying to hide it. I didn't want a lot of players to know. The reality is that I feel like every single player in the world knew already because it wasn't something that I was capable of hiding. How can I hide it if I'm around those people for 40 weeks a year?

Everything changed when I hurt my ankle at Roland Garros in 2022. I had a lot of time on my hands and would think about a lot of things. For example, the thought popped in my mind that surely there are kids in the same situation that I was 20 years ago. They have to go through the same things that I went through when I was younger with diabetes.

And that is what led to me creating the Alexander Zverev Foundation. When we launched it, I went public with my diabetes and I'm really happy that I did. With my foundation, we are capable of helping thousands of kids each year by providing necessary medicine, and just making sure that kids are able to survive.

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I'm proud as a Type 1 diabetic to show that to families dealing with the disease. And if ever there will be another World No. 1 with diabetes, I would be the happiest person in the world.

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