On the couch to number 1? Alexander Zverev is working on his comeback in rehab – and can hope for a historic step.
The shock has long since been digested and the aftermath of the operation has healed. And now the hard work in the market town of Donaustauf is paying off. “The rehab is going according to plan,” said Alexander Zverev through the German Tennis Association. A plan that will end with a successful return to the court – possibly as number 1 in the world.
Zverev could succeed on August 15 on the historic step on the throne, which Boris Becker has so far been the only German to do among men. Leader Daniil Medvedev is under pressure: In the coming week in Los Cabos/Mexico and especially at the ATP Masters in Montreal/Canada (from August 7th) the Russian has to score in order to stay ahead of Zverev.
The man from Hamburg had several chances this year to take the lead in the world rankings. Unlike this time, he had it in his own hands. At the Australian Open, however, Zverev surprisingly failed in the round of 16, at the French Open he twisted his ankle in the semifinals against Grand Slam record champion Rafael Nadal: the beginning of his ordeal.
It’s slowly coming to an end, even if his start at the US Open (from August 29) is questionable. “I want to win every tournament I play. That’s my character. I don’t go to events just to take part,” said Zverev recently at eurosport.de. Means: Only when the training deficit after the ankle injury has been made up will he want to compete again.
Davis Cup instead of US Open as comeback date
New York could actually be too early for that, the next goal would then be: Davis Cup in Hamburg. “I can’t wait to finally serve in front of my home crowd,” said Zverev. In mid-September, the German team will play against France (14th), Belgium (16th) and Australia (18th) for a place in the finals. The chances would increase with the Olympic champion.
For this, Zverev toiled with the specialists at the “Eden Rehab” clinic run by physiotherapist Klaus Eder in Donaustauf. Three weeks, up to eight treatments a day. He only took a break on Sundays. “The greatest athletes in Germany have been here, and there’s a reason for that,” Zverev explained in the Donaukurier about the choice of the Upper Palatinate province for his development work.
Back in his adopted home of Monte Carlo, the fine-tuning for the comeback should follow, and Zverev coordinates the timing with the “experts”, “who know my body better than I do”. He would certainly not resist a return as the nominally best tennis player in the world. It would be an odd footnote to his painful summer of 2022.