Zverev speaks out – tapes are off

Shortly before departure from Paris, Alexander Zverev was at least able to smile a little again. With a splint on his right foot and crutches, the Olympic tennis champion stood in front of a plane on Saturday. He gave an initial update on social media about the injury he sustained in the semifinals of the French Open against Rafael Nadal on Friday.

“After the first medical examinations, it looks as if I have torn several collateral ligaments in my right foot,” said Zverev. Zverev wrote that he would fly to Germany on Monday for further examinations and to clarify what the best way was for a quick return. In Germany, it should be clarified whether the ankle was affected in addition to the ligaments. Wimbledon in danger How long Zverev will have to take a break is still unclear. However, a start at the lawn classic in Wimbledon, which begins on June 27th, seems out of the question. In a video message on Saturday night, Zverev, visibly shaken, had already announced that he assumed he had suffered a “very serious injury”. The scenes on the Court Philippe Chatrier had already suggested something bad on Friday. Zverev lay on the floor with his face contorted in pain and was wheeled off the pitch in a wheelchair with tears in his eyes.

The German had to be transported away in a wheelchair. © ANSA / MARTIN DIVISEK

The dream of the second Grand Slam final of his career and the chance to win his first title at one of the four most important tournaments was brutally shattered. With the score at 6:7 (8:10), 6:6 from his point of view, it was suddenly over after more than three hours of play in the semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

After initial treatment in the catacombs of the Center Court, Zverev left the facility in the Bois de Boulogne with his team around his father Alexander Senior and coach Sergi Bruguera. “It was a very difficult moment for me on the pitch,” Zverev said later in the video. “It was a fantastic match until what happened happened.” Girlfriend suffers too Zverev's girlfriend Sophia Thomalla, who is not in Paris, was shocked by his injury. “My heart shattered into a thousand pieces when I saw the accident,” wrote Thomalla on social media on Saturday morning. “Sport can be so incredibly cruel.” The competition also expressed their sympathy for the Hamburg native. “Get well again quickly,” wrote world number one Novak Djokovic, for example, on Instagram.

Zverev's semi-final opponent Nadal also felt for Zverev. “I hope he’s not that badly injured and nothing is broken,” said Nadal, who had imagined his return to the Roland Garros final very differently. Although the Spaniard was celebrated by the spectators on his 36th birthday, he was not really happy after Zverev's task.

“I know how hard he fights to win a Grand Slam tournament. “I’m sure he’ll win not just one but several,” the Spaniard said of Zverev. In the final on Sunday, Nadal will face Norwegian Casper Ruud, who won against Croatian Marin Cilic in four sets.

Nadal knows all about injuries and has been struggling with a chronic foot injury for a long time now. The problems affect him so much that he would even exchange another French Open title for an end to the pain. “I would prefer to lose the final on Sunday and get a new foot,” Nadal said. “I would be happy with a life with a new foot. Winning is wonderful, but life is much more important than any titles.”

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Zverev speaks out – tapes are off

They were images that hurt to look at. Alexander Zverev's foot didn't look good at all after his fall in the Paris semi-final against Rafael Nadal. As feared, the Olympic champion has to take a long break because several ligaments in his ankle are torn.

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