Germany’s Alexander Zverev reacts during his match against France’s Alexandre Muller in their round of 16 tennis match of the Hamburg tournament against, in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday May 21, 2025. (Frank Molter/dpa via AP)
Alexander Zverev says lightning struck his flight to Paris for the French Open
PARIS (AP) 鈥 German tennis player Alexander Zverev said Friday his plane was hit lightning on the way to Paris for the French Open and had to turn around, delaying his arrival for the clay-court Grand Slam tournament.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev reacts during his match against France’s Alexandre Muller in their round of 16 tennis match of the Hamburg tournament against, in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday May 21, 2025. (Frank Molter/dpa via AP)
PARIS (AP) 鈥 German tennis player Alexander Zverev said Friday his plane was hit lightning on the way to Paris for the French Open and had to turn around, delaying his arrival for the clay-court Grand Slam tournament.
He wound up getting in at about 3 a.m.
鈥淲e were supposed to fly yesterday evening at 6:45 p.m., and we took off from Hamburg,鈥 said Zverev, last year’s runner-up at Roland-Garros and seeded No. 3 this year. 鈥淲e got struck by lightning. We had to do an emergency landing back in Hamburg.鈥
By the time he got on a different flight, his journey resumed at 1 a.m.
Zverev is scheduled to face Learner Tien of the United States in the first round on Sunday.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Despite the initial mid-air scare, Zverev described the episode as basically uneventful.
鈥淚t made a little noise 鈥 no real wobbling or anything,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t was a first-time experience.鈥
He said Czech player Jiri Lehecka and American Brandon Nakashima were also on board.
lost his match at the German Open in Hamburg on Wednesday and said he was feeling ill.
鈥淚 think everybody that knows tennis saw I wasn鈥檛 at 100%,” he said Friday.
