Last May, Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal scrapped in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros. The two men were engaged in an exceptional fight when the German badly twisted his ankle during a lateral run. Since then, he hasn’t played in a single professional match, but returned to competition during an exhibition in Saudi Arabia last week. He was beaten there by Daniil Medvedev by conceding his first 6-0 since 2018.
In an interview with Eurosport, Alexander Zverev told how he lived these long months of absence and explained that he managed not to think about it too much. “I was able to accept it relatively easily, because it happened during a match against Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, at Roland Garros, where I was trying to achieve my dream of becoming a Grand Slam champion. and where I had the chance to become world number one. It didn’t happen in a stupid accident, while snowboarding or skiing. So it was a little easier for me to accept it.”
After treating his ankle for the first time, the German had to put the racket down to treat a new injury. He also explained the difficult times of this period. “The second injury was not easy for me, because the real injury was healed. I was healthy and then I was told: ‘There are after-effects, the bone is not ready yet. ‘. Then I said to myself that I had to start from scratch. For six weeks, I couldn’t do anything, I had to put away my tennis racket again, I couldn’t go to the gym. At one point I went on vacation to clear my head. But this injury taught me to be more patient and appreciate the little things.”
