Wimbledon 2026: Why is Alexander Zverev allowed to use mobile phones during matches?

Many of you have reached out to ask why Alexander Zverev was spotted using his phone multiple times during matches at Wimbledon this year, despite the player ban.

The reason is that Zverev is a type 1 diabetic, and therefore has a medical exemption from the rule to check his glucose levels.

The All England Club told BBC Sport that Grand Slam tournaments have lists of diabetics and that those players are allowed to use their phones during matches to monitor their glucose and inject insulin if necessary.

Zverev, who has reached the men’s singles final, He told BBC Sport he has two phones, one of which does not have a SIM card because it is only used to monitor his glucose while on court.

This means he can simply read the levels his glucose monitor is relaying to his phone screen, instead of constantly checking finger-pricks.

“That’s why the umpires allow me to check my phone, so I don’t have to poke my finger at every change,” he said.

In June, a malfunction with Zverev’s monitor at the Haley Open led to Taylor injecting him with a much higher dose of insulin than necessary during his semifinal loss to Fritz.

She said the mistake made her feel “absolutely terrible” as she had to eat around 350g of sugar to counteract the high dose of insulin.