Wimbledon finalist Alexander Zverev is using his tennis success to raise diabetes awareness

LONDON (AP) — Alexander Zverev has more than just defending champion Jannik Sinner to deal with on Sunday in the Wimbledon final.

The 29-year-old German also has Type 1 diabetes, which requires him to monitor his glucose levels and, if needed, inject insulin during matches.

Zverev, who won the French Open and is seeking back-to-back Grand Slam titles, uses an insulin pen when needed to jab the top of his thigh during changeovers on court.

Here's some more information about Zverev and the disease.

Zverev disclosed in 2022 that he has Type 1 diabetes, having been diagnosed at age 4, according to his diabetes foundation. He had previously kept it quiet. If he needed an insulin jab during a match, he'd do it privately during bathroom breaks.

The announcement coincided with him launching his foundation, to help children in particular.

“If we as a foundation, and me just as a tennis player and somebody who has diabetes, can help even just a single kid or a single parent, I’ll be the happiest person in the world,” Zverev said after an early-round victory at Wimbledon. “There’s a lot of great athletes, there’s a lot of actors, musicians, who have diabetes. It shows that with diabetes there shouldn’t be any limits.”

At a Wimbledon warmup event in Halle, Germany, Zverev said his glucose sensor gave him an incorrect reading at his semifinal match against Taylor Fritz. Because it showed falsely high levels, he accidentally injected too much insulin.

When he figured out the problem, Zverev consumed 350 grams of sugar through glucose gels in the first hour of the match to normalize his blood sugar levels. He reported feeling “awful" and lost the match in three sets.

“The company’s investigating it, looking into it,” he said at a pre-Wimbledon press conference, referring to the firm that makes the sensor. “I’ve been using it for 10-plus years. This is the first time ever it happened."

The sensors are life changing, he noted.

“Those things are still very, very useful for a diabetic, make the life of a diabetic much easier than without them,” he added. “It was very unfortunate for me that it happened, but I think as a product, it still is very helpful for millions of diabetes patients.”

Zverev has permission from Grand Slam tournaments, the All England Club confirmed, to use his phone during matches to check his glucose levels. His sensor relays readings to the phone so that Zverev doesn't need to do finger-prick blood tests. Otherwise, phones are not allowed on court.

NHL Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke played his whole career with Type 1 diabetes, and current NHL player Max Domi also has the chronic disease.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, diagnosed in childhood, frequently checks his blood sugar levels during games.

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in his mid-20s, as was Olympic champion swimmer Gary Hall Jr.

Advocates say visibility is important, and not just in sports.

A year ago, Mattel introduced its first Barbie representing a person with Type 1 diabetes. She wears a continuous glucose monitor — to track blood sugar levels — on her arm while holding a phone displaying an accompanying app.

It was once called “juvenile diabetes” because it most often occurs in children and teenagers. An estimated 9.2 million people have Type 1 diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that with the disease, “your pancreas doesn’t make insulin or makes very little insulin. Insulin helps blood sugar enter the cells in your body for use as energy. Without insulin, blood sugar can’t get into cells and builds up in the bloodstream.” Insulin shots are required to manage the blood sugar levels.

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Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates after winning the first set against Jannik Sinner of Italy during the men's singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexander Zverev of Germany prepares to inject himself with insulin during a changeover in the men's singles final match against Jannik Sinner of Italy, at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Alexander Zverev of Germany prepares to inject himself with insulin during a changeover in the men's singles final match against Jannik Sinner of Italy, at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexander Zverev of Germany injects himself with insulin during a changeover in the men's singles final match against Jannik Sinner of Italy, at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexander Zverev of Germany injects himself with insulin during a changeover in the men's singles final match against Jannik Sinner of Italy, at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Alexander Zverev of Germany returns the ball to Taylor Fritz of the United States in their quarter-final men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts after a point against Arthur Fery of Britain in their men's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates winning against Taylor Fritz of the United States in their quarter-final men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Six people were killed and 15 wounded after a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon in a busy market square in Krakow, authorities said, in what Poland ’s defense minister called an “act of terror” on the people of the city.

The suspect, a 25-year-old Polish citizen, opened fire with an automatic weapon in the city’s Main Square, a major tourist destination. He was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held “very radical views," Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said at a news conference.

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called Saturday’s fatal shooting an “act of terror” on the people of Krakow.

Four women and two men were killed. Two police officers were wounded, one seriously, Kierwiński said on X.

Authorities earlier said the gunman was a Polish citizen and said he was 24, but later corrected his age to 25.

The perpetrator was shot and wounded during a gunfight with officers a short distance away from the initial violence, police said, and was taken to the hospital for surgery.

Katarzyna Cisło, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, said the perpetrator was wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun in the attack. Police found many other weapons, as well as ammunition, in his car. He kept firing at the police even after being shot himself, she said.

The attacker engaged in a “wild ride” around the Main Square, Cisło said, which is why people were wounded at several locations.

Cisło added that the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.

Krakow mayor Łukasz Gibała said the city will be in official mourning until Wednesday. He vowed that Krakow will remain open to visitors despite the tragedy.

“The square will belong to us again,” Gibała said in a video posted to X.

Videos posted on social media by witnesses show people running away from the square to take cover on small streets nearby, as well as first responders trying to resuscitate victims. In one of the videos, a policeman is seen repeatedly shooting the attacker, who is lying on the street, only to later slowly collapse himself to the ground.

Photos showed a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter after it landed in the square.

It was not immediately clear whether the firearm used in Saturday’s attack, or the guns found in the perpetrator’s car, were legal. Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising.

Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post on X, praised the police officers who responded to Saturday’s tragedy. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.

A tram driver reported around 3 p.m. that his vehicle was shot at from a man in a moving car while passing nearby the main square, the Krakow municipal transport company said. The window to the tram driver’s cabin was shattered.

Animal rights group OTOZ Animals said the attacker also shot two horses. Both animals are alive, but one was grazed by a bullet and the other hit in the leg. White carriages drawn by horses are a main tourist attraction in the square.

Around 15 million tourists a year visit Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, the majority passing through the Main Square.

Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced increased security measures, including road barriers, along main streets in the old town in the Polish capital in the aftermath of the Krakow attack.

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Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland and Dazio reported from Berlin.

Police cars are parked in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)

Police privacy screens are installed in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)

Police privacy screens are installed in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)

An armed police officer secures a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)

Armed police officers secure a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow, Poland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, leaving people dead and injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)