Zverev shows picture from the sick bed: "This morning I had to undergo an operation"
Created: 2022-06-09 05:41
By: Stefan Schmid
Alexander Zverev injured his ankle in the French Open semifinals.
Now he has been operated - the tennis star is still confident.
Munich – In the semifinals of the French Open against eventual winner Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev had to give up early due to a serious ankle injury.
On Tuesday evening (June 7th), the German tennis star reported from his sickbed via Instagram.
Among other things, he wrote: "This morning I had to undergo an operation."
Nevertheless, the French Open semi-finalist is full of confidence.
At the US Open (August 29 to September 11), Germany's best could already make his comeback and pursue the goal of winning a title in one of the four largest tournaments in 2022.
In his short video message from the hospital, the freshly operated Zverev showed the hint of a smile again.
“I look forward to returning again.
I already miss tennis," said the 25-year-old Olympic champion.
When Germany's best player wants to be back on the pitch after the serious foot injury in the semifinals of the French Open, he initially left open.
Alexander Zverev: Examination excludes worse injury, but surgery was carried out anyway
The examination in Germany found that all three lateral ligaments in the right ankle were torn, Zverev wrote in the message that he published on Instagram.
The native of Hamburg had himself checked out by the Davis Cup doctor Tim Kinateder in Munich on Monday to see whether the foot had suffered any further damage apart from the multiple torn ligaments that had already been found.
The good news: An even worse injury was not found.
An operation is not absolutely necessary for torn ligaments in the ankle, but Zverev had good reasons to resort to surgery anyway.
"In order to return to competition as soon as possible, to ensure all ligaments heal properly and to regain full stability in my ankle, surgery was the best choice," explains the tennis star.
US Open: Grand Slam tournament in New York City feasible for Zverev
It was clear that a start at the grass classic in Wimbledon from June 27th to July 10th was out of the question.
However, Zverev should continue to aim for the following highlights of the tennis year: There are still more than eleven weeks until the start of the US Open as the last Grand Slam tournament in 2022.
This means that Zverev's big goal for this year - triumph in one of the four biggest tournaments and number one in the world - remains realistic.
As early as next week he climbs to second place in the world rankings for the first time in his career.
The US Open is followed by the Davis Cup intermediate round from September 14th to 18th - Zverev had campaigned for the German group to be played in Hamburg.
"My rehab starts now and I will do whatever it takes to come back stronger than ever!" he wrote.
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The reactions: Once again, the interest in the network was great.
By midnight, Zverev's message had been commented on more than 1,000 times, and the Instagram post collected more than 37,000 hearts.
Ex-pro Tommy Haas wished him a "quick recovery", "Get well soon, Alex", wrote Thomas Müller after the German national soccer team's 1-1 draw against England.
His girlfriend Sophia Thomalla – not with her loved one due to her job – sent a heart emoji.
"I keep getting so many messages and I want to say thank you again to everyone who has supported me through such a difficult time," Zverev wrote.
