This year's Wimbledon Championships feature a peculiar situation: two of the remaining finalists are allergic to grass. Karolina Muchova and Alexander Zverev both face the challenge of managing their allergies while competing on the sport's most prestigious grass courts.
Muchova's Battle with Grass Allergy
Karolina Muchova, who faces Linda Noskova in the women's singles final on Saturday, confirmed her allergy after her quarter-final victory over Naomi Osaka. "Yeah, yeah. I'm allergic," she said. When asked how she manages the condition, she smiled and replied: "I have pills, a lot of pills. Pills, sprays, eyedrops."
The 29-year-old Czech is in her first Wimbledon final and hadn't reached the second week at SW19 since 2021. However, she feels her grass-court game has improved. "This year I played in Berlin, then Bad Homburg, I played two tournaments before Wimbledon," she explained. "I think it helped me to get the matches and get that experience from the matches, I think I feel the most comfortable definitely on the grass now."
Zverev's Approach to Allergy and Diabetes
Alexander Zverev, who will play in the men's final on Sunday after defeating home favourite Arthur Fery, also deals with a grass allergy. After a second-round victory over Valentin Royer, he said: "Just the same as always. I have a bit of a stuffed nose. Again, I will not die from it. It doesn't affect me playing. I'm fine."
The 29-year-old German also manages Type 1 diabetes, injecting himself on court when necessary. After beating Marcos Giron in round three, he spoke about his foundation for children with diabetes. "I have a foundation for kids with diabetes. I was once a kid who just got diagnosed with diabetes. I had parents whose kid got diagnosed with diabetes 20-plus years ago. 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."
Mindset Shift After First Grand Slam Title
Zverev also addressed how his mindset changed after winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open earlier this year. "Last year I was struggling a lot tennis-wise. Also, I was not playing really well," he said. "This year I'm coming in as Roland Garros champion. I think the mindset is just very different, playing-wise very different. Of course I hope to continue my good form."
