Tennis Olympic champion Alexander Zverev gave the all-clear for the grass highlight in Wimbledon (from July 3) after his thigh strain.
He will play the preparatory tournament “in Halle” as planned next week, the 26-year-old told “Sport Bild”. Zverev sustained the injury at the French Open, where he reached the semifinals.
Despite his successful run in Paris a year after his serious ankle injury, he was “very, very disappointed” after losing to Norwegian Casper Ruud because: “I had the feeling that I could be in the final. But you have to be 100 percent fit to go into the long rallies, you have to run a lot, so I was limited.”
As far as the grass season is concerned, the 1.98 m tall Zverev, as every year, is cautious about making big announcements. “I’m too big for the rubber,” he said. He doesn’t go to London “like a Kasper and take it as a training week, but realistically it’s more difficult for me than the other Grand Slams.” His best result so far at Wimbledon is the round of 16.
By the end of the year, the number 23 in the world no longer has any ranking points to defend, so nothing stands in the way of a further rise in the ranking. Returning to the top five in 2023 will be “very difficult,” said the former world number two. “But if I’m at the ATP Finals in Turin, I’d be incredibly happy. Who would have thought that after a seven-month break after the comeback, I’d be in the top eight if it worked,” said Zverev.
Zverev paid the greatest respect to the current number one and the only Grand Slam record winner since his Paris triumph, Novak Djokovic: “He felt like he broke every record in our sport. He’s the best tennis player of all time. And more: For me it is he’s one of the best athletes ever.”