Alexander Zverev admits he may need therapy as Wimbledon No. 3 seed crashes out in shock first round defeat following years of violence and domestic abuse allegations
While the 29-year-old winner belly-flopped in celebration on Centre Court, third seed Zverev opened his soul following the defeat in five sets.
'I've never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, outside of tennis as well,' he said. Asked if he'd consider therapy, he replied: 'Maybe for the first time in my life I'll probably need it.'
Zverev's defeat 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-7 6-4 in four hours, 40 minutes - the longest match of the championships so far - was a massive shock.
His opponent turns 30 this month and had never previously been past the first round at Wimbledon but didn't drop serve against the three-time Grand Slam finalist.
After securing his fourth match point, Rinderknech told the crowd: 'My knees are still shaking.'
In contrast, Zverev implied the off-court pressures being accused of violence and domestic abuse had taken its toll even though he had repeatedly denied the allegations and a Berlin court case was discontinued last year.
He said on Tuesday night: 'I've been through a lot of difficulties in the media. I've been through a lot of difficulties in life generally.
'Even when I'm winning like in Stuttgart or Halle (tournaments) it's not necessarily, like, a feeling that I used to get where I was happy, over the moon, I felt motivated to keep going.
'It's just not there right now for me, which, again, is the first time in my life which I'm feeling.
'I don't think tennis is the problem right now for me. It is something else I have to find within me at the moment.
'It is difficult for me to tell you because I don't have the answers right now.'
Zverev was heckled by a spectator at a tournament in Munich earlier this year regarding the allegations and asked for them to be ejected.
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