Zverev comeback burst - next long failure imminent: "Can be dangerous for the future"

Created: 09/12/2022, 18:47

By: Stefan Schmid

After the serious injury believed to be over, the next setback for Alexander Zverev follows.

Bone edema slows down the hamburger.

Hamburg – At the Davis Cup in his hometown of Hamburg, Alexander Zverev actually wanted to make his comeback, but now another injury is causing problems for the Germans.

So Zverev looks visibly upset when the new negative message is announced and speaks of a downtime that makes a return to the tennis court this year seem more than unlikely.

"Extreme pain" came during exercise

The pain first became apparent during a training session with his Davis Cup teammate Oscar Otte.

The next morning brought the sad certainty and the diagnosis of bone edema (increased fluid deposits in the bones, editor's note).

The same foot is affected in which Zverez suffered multiple ligament tears at the French Open in June.

In order not to take the risk of a fracture caused by the edema, Zverev now has to take it slow.

"I have to be patient and careful, something like that can be dangerous for the future," says the fifth in the world rankings.

An insight that is also reflected in the assessment of past injury management, of which Zverev says that he "probably did too much and is now in extreme pain".

Alexander Zverev announced his new injury clearly kinked.

© IMAGO/Mathias Schulz

Zverev wants to "be a cheerleader"

For Zverev, the new injury means another long downtime, "because we're talking about weeks, most likely even months," said the crushed Olympic champion.

So it would be a miracle if he could be seen on the tennis court again this year.

For the tournament in Hamburg, he now wants to support the team from the outside: "I'll be a cheerleader in the best sense of the word."

Of course, the failure also has consequences for the Davis Cup team in Hamburg.

Team captain Michael Kohlmann is sympathetic to his star: "Of course, this news was a shock for us, but of course for Sascha first of all." Kohlmann appointed Yannick Hanfmann from Karlsruhe to the team as a Zverev replacement, who is currently in 152nd place in the world rankings.

Meanwhile, tennis prodigy Alcaraz made headlines by winning the US Open.