Ever since tennis has returned and the tour has resumed it has been organised behind closed doors and also in a biosecure bubble. The players have been in the bubble since August following several restrictions and taking precautions in these testing times of the pandemic. All these restrictions can often create mental fatigue, anxiety and depression as the players are completely isolated from their friends and family.

A lot of cases like these have been observed over the last few months and recently German tennis star Alexander Zverev was the one to come out and speak about it. He mentioned that he was overwhelmed by the regulations of the bubble for the last nine months. Zverev mentioned during an interview that the feeling of not getting to meet his family and friends broke him emotionally during the 2021 Rotterdam Open.

He also went on to add that the strict restrictions took a major toll on his motivation as well. He also claimed that he understands how his fellow tennis player Dominic Thiem has been struggling with.

“We have been in a bubble for nine months. In Rotterdam, I was freaking out. We only stay at the hotel and on the court. There is no fresh air to breathe. We have no contact with the outside world. I understand Dominic Thiem. I have been struggling with motivation too.” said the 24-year-old.

Despite all the difficulty, the young German braved everything to clinch the Mexican Open last month where he defeated in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals. But his early round exits at the Miami Open and the Monte Carlo Masters puts a dent on his tour performance overall.

The German is currently featuring at the Bavarian Open in his homeland and has progressed through to the quarter-finals and will play Ilya Ivashka from Belarus.

Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem has been out of action since the Dubai Open 2021, he has withdrawn his name from several events due to mental fatigue and lack of motivation of living in a bubble.

But the Austrian is set to be back in action at the Mutua Madrid Open which is scheduled to start on May 2. The clay-court event is likely to act as a platform where the reigning US Open winner can assess his game and make adjustments for the Roland Garros which is just around the corner.