World No. 3 Alexander Zverev Shares Shocking Experience: His Plane Hit by Lightning on Way to Roland-Garros

Alexander Zverev has shared a startling experience from his journey to Paris for the Roland-Garros tournament, revealing that his plane was hit by lightning, causing significant delays to his arrival from Germany.

The world No. 3 cheekily remarked that he had the “best story” of the tournament thus far, noting that his entry to the iconic clay courts was hindered by the unexpected lightning strike.

“We were scheduled to depart yesterday evening at 6:45 PM, flying out from Hamburg,” explained Zverev, who was the runner-up at last year’s Roland-Garros.

“We took off from Hamburg, and I was flying alongside [Jiri] Lehecka, [Brandon] Nakashima, and some doubles players when, amusingly, we were struck by lightning.”

“We had to make an emergency landing back in Hamburg and, unfortunately, there were no other flights available. As a result, everyone else headed out the next morning.”

After finally securing a spot on a different flight, Zverev resumed his journey at 1 AM, landing in Paris at 3 AM.

Zverev is due to compete against American teenager Learner Tien in the opening round on Sunday.

Despite the terrifying experience in the air, Zverev described it as largely uneventful.

“This was the first time I’ve experienced a lightning strike mid-flight, which was amusing because there was merely a small noise, no significant turbulence, nothing like that,” he recounted.

Having recently suffered a loss at the German Open in Hamburg, Zverev admitted to feeling unwell. “I think anyone familiar with tennis could see I wasn’t at my best,” he remarked.

For all the latest updates, key discussions, and highlights from Roland-Garros, be sure to catch Stan Sport’s Grand Slam Daily streaming live every morning of the tournament from Monday at 11 AM AEST.

Hosted by Chris Stubbs alongside esteemed Australian player, coach, and commentator Wally Masur, the programme will frequently connect with Duncan McKenzie-McHarg on the ground in Paris, who will be engaging with some of the sport’s biggest names.