"If I had withdrawn in Hamburg, I would have been accused of many things," says Zverev about his defeat against Muller

Present in the press area in Paris, Zverev spoke on several topics. Eliminated early in Hamburg against Muller, he stated that he was sick during his match. But that's not all, the German also commented on the impact of social media in the world of tennis:

"Nowadays, social media is more important than anything else. We receive a lot of hate. For us tennis players, the insults we are exposed to daily online and on social media are extreme, because many of them occur through hidden messages.

If I had withdrawn from the Hamburg tournament, I would have been accused of many things. I would probably have been accused of taking the money and leaving after just one match. That I wasn't taking the tournament seriously, etc. But that's not true. I lost because I was sick. Tennis has a strong blame culture among fans and especially on social media."

A finalist last year, Zverev will start his tournament against American Tien.