Alexander Zverev will miss Wimbledon a summer hard courts are in doubt following ankle surgery

By Ricky Dimon

Alexander Zverev will be out for an extended period of time as a result of his nasty ankle injury sustained in last week’s French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal. Zverev announced on Tuesday that he tore three ankle ligaments, thus requiring surgery.

The 25-year-old underwent a successful procedure and the length of time for which it will leave him sidelined is unclear. With Wimbledon beginning in just three weeks, Zverev is certain to miss the season’s third major. If a timeline of 6-8 weeks turns out to be accurate, there is a chance the German could be back for some of the summer hard-court swing–concluding with the U.S. Open.

“We all have our own journey in life,” Zverev posted on Instagram following surgery. “This is part of mine. Next week I’ll reach a career high ranking of number 2 in the world, but this morning I had to undergo surgery. After further examination in Germany, we received confirmation that all three of the lateral ligaments in my right ankle were torn. To return to competition as quickly as possible, to ensure all the ligaments heal properly, and to reclaim full stability in my ankle, surgery was the best choice. My rehab starts now and I’ll do everything to come back stronger than ever!

“I am continuing to receive so many messages and would like to thank everyone once again for supporting me during such a difficult time ”.

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A post shared by Alexander Zverev (@alexzverev123)

Zverev’s shocking injury came on the final point prior to what would have been a second-set tiebreaker against Nadal last Friday at Roland Garros. After rolling over on his right ankle, the world No. 3 tumbled to the clay in agony. He was helped off the court in a wheelchair and came back out on crutches to do nothing more than shake the chair umpire’s hand in retirement. Zverev and Nadal played for three hours and 13 minutes without even completing two sets (Nadal won the first 7-6(7) from 6-2 down in the ‘breaker).

The 36-year-old Spaniard went on to capture his 14th French Open title–his 22nd major triumph overall.

Zverev, who beat Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, had a very real chance to win his first Grand Slam title. If he had survived that grueling showdown against Nadal, the third seed would have been a heavy favorite against Casper Ruud in the championship match.

Zverev’s best slam result is a runner-up finish at the 2020 U.S. Open, where he lost to Dominic Thiem in a fifth-set tiebreaker. He has reached the quarterfinals at every major except Wimbledon at least twice and has reached at least the semis of a major on five occasions.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.