Alexander Zverev has hit out at the Olympic Games chiefs after the tennis ace ‘suffered’ with the conditions of the athlete’s village in Paris.
Defending Olympic champion Zverev reached the quarter-final stage in the French capital, but was dumped out of the singles competition by Lorenzo Musetti.
It probably wouldn’t have counted for much, given Novak Djokovic appeared to be on a one-man mission to take home gold.
But, in the wake of last week’s Olympic tennis meet, Zverev has blasted the organisers of the Games.
Speaking to the Tennis Channel, Zverev said: “I preferred Tokyo because I prefer to win gold, of course, but it’s always special to be in the Olympics.
“This year it was strange because it was in Roland Garros, a place we all know very well. But at the same time, it was very different.
“The Olympic Village wasn’t the best, I have to say. I stayed there, the whole German team stayed there, our federation wanted it.
“We suffered a little because of food, we suffered a little from sleeping conditions.
“There was no air conditioning in the rooms either, which was a bit difficult for me but it was the same for everyone so I don’t complain.”
The lack of air conditioning was picked up on by the Team GB chiefs in the build-up to the Games, with the rooms housing British athletes having been retro-fitted with AC units.
Zverev and his German counterparts weren’t so lucky. Something the ATP world No.4 wasn’t too pleased about: “Because of that, I think Tokyo was much better and the organisation was also much better.
“Nevertheless, it was a great experience to be there with all the athletes and it was nice to be back in the Olympic village.
“But the win is always the most fun part and this time I didn’t get it.”
The German will be keen to get Paris out of his mind, given the US Open is just two weeks away.
Zverev is yet to win a Grand Slam, having last come close at the French Open earlier in the summer.
The 27-year-old was brushed aside in the final by Carlos Alcaraz, with Zverev admitting he’s still hurting from the defeat: “We are both physically strong but he’s a beast, he’s an animal for sure and the intensity that he plays tennis is different to that of other people.
“He can do so many different things. He changed his tactic a lot in the fifth set. So I had to play a lot higher, a lot deeper for me to not create as much power, especially with the shadows on the court.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk