Alexander Zverev says his top priority is to have fun on the court when he returns as the German hopes to emulate famous comebacks staged by players such as Roger Federer.
Zverev hasn’t played on the Tour since the French Open where he badly hurt his ankle during his semi-final clash with Rafael Nadal. A scan later revealed that he injured multiple ligaments in his ankle and was later diagnosed with bone edema, which is a build-up of fluid in his bone marrow. As a consequence, he was unable to get fit in time to play another event on the ATP Tour this season.
However, the German has returned to action this week at the Diriyah Tennis Cup which is a three-day exhibition event in Saudi Arabia offering $1M to the champion. Zverev played his first match on Thursday where he defeated Dominic Thiem 10-8, 10-7.
Before playing Thiem, Zverev outlined his hope to stage a dream comeback to the Tour during an interview with Eurosport. Drawing inspiration from Federer’s triumph at the 2017 Australian Open and Nadal’s win at this year’s Australian Open. Both players endured injury setbacks in the weeks leading up to those wins.
“I don’t have any [goals], I just want to have fun,” Zverev said of his goals for 2023. “That’s the first goal. For me, it’s still a process. I still have to come back 100%. It’s not like after an injury you’re healthy and you play the same way you did before. That doesn’t work.
“People always say that when Rafa or Roger come back, they are back at 100%. But that’s not quite true either. Rafa came back last year and I think he lost to everybody at the Abu Dhabi exhibition. Then he came back at the Australian Open, won the tournament and played the best tennis of his life.
“It was the same with Roger at the Hopman Cup. He lost to me and didn’t play that well against other players. He found his form at the Australian Open. I hope it will be a similar process with me, that I won’t play my best tennis right away, of course.”
Zverev concedes that he will not be at his best this week in Saudi Arabia but is hoping to reach his peak in time for the next Grand Slam in January.
“I probably won’t play my best tennis in Dubai at the exhibition either. I hope it will get better with every day and be there at the Australian Open like I want it to be. Hopefully, I quickly find the form I had this year and last year, and maybe find even better form. As long as my foot is healthy, I think I will find my form.” He said.
The 25-year-old has won 19 tour events so far in his career which includes five Masters 1000, two ATP Tour finals and the 2020 Olympic singles tournament.
Reflecting on his time away from the sport, it is a case of absence that makes the heart grow fonder for Zverev who is relishing his return to the limelight.
“When you’re on this tennis circuit, you play 11 months a year and you’re at a new tournament every week, you travel every week. You forget to appreciate that you’re this tennis player in the first place, playing in front of 20,000 spectators in the biggest stadiums in the world, and you’re doing the sport that you love more than anything,” he explained.
“You forget all that a little bit. Then when you’re out for seven months with an injury where you really can’t do anything, you start to think a little bit about how much you actually miss it. Honestly, I missed it incredibly. After the injury, I know even less about what I would do without tennis.”
Zverev, who is currently ranked 12th in the world, is set to start his 2023 season at the inaugural United Cup which is a mixed event being held across three cities in Australia.
