# Sasha Zverev, type 1 diabetic, wins US Open tennis tournament! **URL:** \ **Category:** Sports & Exercise\ **Tags:** type-1\ **Created:** [September 13, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358 "2026-09-13T22:15:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bostrav59](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/bostrav59/32/7281_2.png) [@bostrav59](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/bostrav59)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/1 "2026-09-13T22:15:45Z")
He is probably the most famous diabetic athlete in the world right now - and he’s sponsored by minimed! ---
**Author:** ![coconut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@coconut](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/coconut)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 9:52am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/2 "2026-09-15T09:52:19Z")
That’s pretty awesome! It’s great to see a high profile diabetic athlete representing the community and showing what’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/3 "2026-09-15T15:29:39Z")
> **[8.5M views · 180K reactions | "My son will be whatever he wants to be." 💙 |...](https://www.facebook.com/reel/28213051265042952)** > > "My son will be whatever he wants to be." 💙 ---
**Author:** ![bostrav59](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/bostrav59/32/7281_2.png) [@bostrav59](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/bostrav59)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/4 "2026-09-15T16:37:41Z")
I don’t know if anyone saw the final, but at a few points during the match Zverev injected something into his thigh related to diabetes. I was wondering what that might have been? It was intriguing because I would have thought that he would be more worried about going low, yet he was injecting something. Anybody have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/5 "2026-09-15T17:16:30Z")
Definitely insulin. Nobody would be injecting glucagon at that point. ---
**Author:** ![CRB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@CRB](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/CRB)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/6 "2026-09-15T17:20:33Z")
Glucagon? ---
**Author:** ![allison](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/allison/32/10718_2.png) [@allison](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/allison)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/7 "2026-09-15T18:05:16Z")
Many athletes go high from stress, adrenaline, eating carbs, less insulin on board, etc. Totally expect it would have been insulin. ---
**Author:** ![bostrav59](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/bostrav59/32/7281_2.png) [@bostrav59](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/bostrav59)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/8 "2026-09-15T18:29:06Z")
From Gemini AI: Yes, Alexander Zverev uses a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to manage his type 1 diabetes during tennis matches . [[1](https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1qnp3s9/alexander_zverev_plays_two_games_at_once_as/), [2](https://athlonsports.com/tennis/alexander-zverev-type-1-diabetes-why-check-his-phone-during-us-open-final-ben-shelton)] **How He Uses a CGM on Court** - **Live tracking:** His CGM sensor sends real-time blood sugar data via Bluetooth to a dedicated secondary phone that he keeps in his bag during matches. [[1](https://athlonsports.com/tennis/alexander-zverev-type-1-diabetes-why-check-his-phone-during-us-open-final-ben-shelton)] - **Matchday access:** Grand Slam tournaments grant Zverev a special medical exemption to check this phone during changeovers so he can monitor glucose trends without doing traditional finger-prick tests. [[1](https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/czx5jrgvj0eo), [2](https://apnews.com/article/wimbledon-zverev-diabetes-type1-54ae5fd4b86676fb773d581a1185afcf), [3](https://athlonsports.com/tennis/alexander-zverev-type-1-diabetes-why-check-his-phone-during-us-open-final-ben-shelton)] - **Insulin management:** When his readings show a need for adjustment, he uses an insulin pen during changeovers rather than a pump, which could interfere with his physical movement on the court. [[1](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/wimbledon-finalist-alexander-zverev-using-212322349.html), [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1qnp3s9/alexander_zverev_plays_two_games_at_once_as/)] ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/9 "2026-09-15T19:42:15Z")
Here is why I am confident it would not be glucagon. Simplifying the steps, just to explain the process for energy and how it all relates to glucagon. Reading about the entire metabolic process for everything can make your eyes bleed, so this is a very simple breakdown of it. Glycolysis is the process that breaks down glucose to produce energy, in the form of ATP and pyruvate. So…what are pyruvate and ATP? ATP is the main energy molecule inside our cells. Pyruvate is a three-carbon molecule, and while the process is complex, the simple answer is that pyruvate is also used to create energy. How does all of this relate to glucgaon, and why are you saying he would not be taking glucagon? From a pure energy perspective, glucagon is bad for performance because it inhibits glycolysis. Instead of letting your body generate immediate energy, glucagon forces your metabolism to run in reverse - it inhibits the pathway for the quickest energy source and leaves you reliant on slower pathways such as lipid metabolism. Glucagon increases gluconeogenesis, which is the process where you create glucose from non-carbohydrate sources. Glucagon causes rapid fatigue. And glucagon does not create new energy for the body. Instead it drains your liver’s limited supply of glycogen (stored glucose). It’s much better to take in carbs during exercise than to use the limited supply in your liver. ---
**Author:** ![CRB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@CRB](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/CRB)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/10 "2026-09-15T23:57:57Z")
I was thinking maybe he was heading low. ---
**Author:** ![bostrav59](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/bostrav59/32/7281_2.png) [@bostrav59](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/bostrav59)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/11 "2026-09-16T00:26:40Z")
That’s what I was thinking too. But our expert panel here (and whatever I could find via AI) all feel that he is injecting insulin. He’s wearing a CGM while he’s playing, and he has special dispensation to look at his CGM readings during changeovers. ---
**Author:** ![Trying](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/trying/32/4078_2.png) [@Trying](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Trying)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/12 "2026-09-17T20:11:24Z")
Wow, so impressive! Thanks for posting this. .y vote would be that he injected insulin, too. I will also sometimes go high during a run. ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 5:21am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/13 "2026-09-18T05:21:51Z")
An Unlimited Diabetic! ---
**Author:** ![Marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Marie](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Marie)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 8:31am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/sasha-zverev-type-1-diabetic-wins-us-open-tennis-tournament/16358/14 "2026-09-20T08:31:50Z")
I always love to hear about a type 1 athlete doing so well! And winning!!!