Alexander Zverev spoke up from the sick bed. In his short video message, the Olympic champion who operated on Tuesday showed the hint of a smile again.
“I’m looking forward to coming back. I already miss tennis,” said the 25-year-old in English. When Germany’s best player can be back on the pitch against eventual winner Rafael Nadal after the serious foot injury in the semifinals of the French Open last Friday, he initially left open.
The diagnosis
The examination in Germany found that all three lateral ligaments in the right ankle were torn, Zverev wrote in the message that was published on Instagram on Tuesday evening. Born in Hamburg, he was examined by the Davis Cup doctor Tim Kinateder in Munich on Monday to check whether the foot had suffered further damage apart from the multiple ligament tears that had already been found. The good news: An even worse injury was not discovered.
The operation
Torn ligaments in the ankle can, but do not have to be operated on. “In order to return to the 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,” Zverev explained the decision.
The future
It was already clear before the final diagnosis that a start at the grass classic in Wimbledon from July 27th to 10th was out of the question. However, Zverev should continue to aim for the following highlights of the tennis year: There are still more than eleven weeks until the start of the US Open as the last Grand Slam tournament in 2022 (August 29 to September 11). The big goal for this year was Zverev’s triumph in one of the four biggest tournaments and number one in the world. In the coming week he climbs to second place for the first time in his career.