Alexander Zverev is targeting a full recovery in time for the final Grand Slam of the year after tearing multiple ligaments in his ankle, according to a leading French newspaper.
L’Equipe reports that the world No.3 will likely miss six to eight weeks of the Tour after suffering a horrific injury at the French Open. Zverev was taking on Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and the match was on the verge of entering a second set tiebreaker. However, during a lengthy baseline exchange he went over on his right ankle and screamed in pain instantly. He left the court for treatment before returning minutes later to officially retire from the match.
“Based on the first medical checks, it looks like I have torn several lateral ligaments in my right foot,” Zverev recently wrote on Instagram about his injury.
According to L’Equipe’s sources, the German will miss the Wimbledon championships which will start at the end of this month. It was a strong likelihood that he could have been the top seed at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career if he played. Novak Djokovic is dropping points next week and will fall below him to third in the world. Meanwhile, world No.2 Daniil Medvedev is unable to play due to Wimbledon’s ban on Russian players over the Ukrainian war.
However, he is hoping to be ready in time for the US Open where he achieved his best-ever result at a Grand Slam by reaching the final back in 2020. The tournament will begin on August 29th. Should everything go to plan, if Zverev manages a full recovery after eight weeks he would be ready in time for the Montreal Masters and Cincinnati Masters in August. Two key warm-up events ahead of the New York major.
So far this season the 25-year-old has achieved a win-loss record of 19-10 but is yet to win a title. Besides reaching the semi-finals of the French Open, he was also runner-up at two Tour events in Montpellier and Madrid.
Zverev returned to his native Germany on Monday in order to undergo further medical assessments on his foot to establish what the best treatment is for him.
