Munich (AP) – Alexander Zverev greeted his fans from the sick bed with a thumbs up. After his serious foot injury at the French Open, the Olympic tennis champion underwent surgery.
An examination in Germany found that all three lateral ligaments in the right ankle were torn, the 25-year-old said on Instagram.
“In order to return to competition as soon as possible, to ensure that all ligaments heal properly and to regain full stability in my ankle, surgery was the best choice,” explained Zverev. When the best German tennis pro will be back on the court, he left open. “My rehab starts now and I will do whatever it takes to come back stronger than ever!” he wrote.
Brother Mischa: “Wimbledon is excluded
It was already clear beforehand that it would not be enough to start at the grass classic in Wimbledon from June 27th to July 10th. “Wimbledon is out of the question, that’s clear,” his brother Mischa told “Bild” before the final investigations in Munich. “If only one or two tapes are through, he can walk again next week. If many are affected, it can take months.”
The next big highlight of the tennis year after Wimbledon is the US Open from August 29th to September 11th, followed by the Davis Cup intermediate round from September 14th to 18th in Hamburg. “We all have our own journey in life. It’s part of mine,” wrote Zverev. Next week he will be number two in the world rankings better than ever before in his career.