After the first aid in the catacombs of the center court, Zverev left the facility in the Bois de Boulogne with his team around father Alexander Senior and trainer Sergi Bruguera. “It was a very difficult moment for me on the pitch,” Zverev said later in the video. “It was a fantastic match until what happened happened.”
“Get well soon”
Zverev’s girlfriend Sophia Thomalla, who was not in Paris, was shocked by his injury. “My heart shattered into a thousand pieces when I saw the accident,” wrote Thomalla on Instagram on Saturday morning. “Sport can be so incredibly cruel.” The competition also expressed their sympathy for the native of Hamburg. “Get well again quickly,” wrote world number one Novak Djokovic on Instagram, for example.
IOC President Thomas Bach wished tennis Olympic champion Zverev a lot of strength after his injury-related task at the French Open. “Dear Alex Zverev, all the best for you. I hope to see you back on the pitch soon,” Bach (68) tweeted on the official channel of the International Olympic Committee.
Nadal: “Hope nothing is broken”
Zverev’s semi-final opponent Nadal also felt for Zverev. “I hope he’s not injured that badly and that nothing is broken,” said Nadal, who had imagined his return to the Roland Garros final quite differently. The Spaniard was celebrated by the spectators on his 36th birthday, but he didn’t really want to be happy after Zverev’s task.
“I know how hard he’s fighting to win a Grand Slam tournament. I’m sure he’ll win not just one, but several,” said the Spaniard about Zverev. Nadal meets Norway’s Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final, who won against Croatia’s Marin Cilic in four sets.
It is completely uncertain when Zverev will be back on the tennis court. Next up for the 25-year-old would be the lawn tournament in Halle/Westphalia in about a week. But a start in East Westphalia seems impossible. Nobody even wanted to think about participating in the next Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon on June 27th.
Have been pretty lucky so far
It all depends on how serious the damage is to the ligaments and bones in the ankle. So far, Zverev has been largely spared from serious injuries in his career. Born in Hamburg, he is considered a very well trained and fit player. The ankle twist on Friday was just bad luck, said Nadal.
The Mallorcan is familiar with injuries and has been struggling with a chronic foot injury for a long time. The problems affect him so much that he would even trade another French Open title for an end to the pain. “I would prefer to lose the final on Sunday and get a new foot for it,” said Nadal. “I would be happy to live with a new foot. Winning is wonderful, but life is much more important than any title.”