Alexander Zverev fears for his knee after the first round crash
After starting difficulties Alexander Zverev slowly got going on the lawn - but now his knee is causing problems in Halle.
by tennisnet / SID
last edit:
Jun 18, 2019, 09:24 pm
With a view of the sunset over the tennis facility in Halle in East Westphalia, Alexander Zverev had the pain massaged out of his limbs after his painstaking opening win, the damaged left knee was already bandaged.
Zverev said earlier that he had "a bit of pain" and that his knee was "swollen" after the unfortunate slip on the wet lawn, but said that "it is nothing big". Apparently, the knee is causing more problems than expected.
Germany's tennis star canceled the planned start in doubles with his brother Mischa on Tuesday. In his first round victory the day before against Dutchman Robin Haase, Zverev slipped on the wet lawn in the second set.
The Hamburg player stayed and held his bleeding left knee, but continued after a short break in treatment and won 6: 4, 7: 5.
The organizers put Zverev's round of 16 in the singles against the American Steve Johnson on Thursday. He left open whether he can compete.
Alexander Zverev: Deja vu in Halle
Last year, the fifth in the world rankings in Halle, plagued by an injury, failed in the first round. For this reason alone, he wanted to "play really well" at one of his favorite tournaments this year, as he said after the opening win.
The 22-year-old had not only traveled to East Westphalia with big goals. "I was here four times in the final, twice in singles and in doubles," said Zverev, a win did not come out. He wanted to end this black series: "Now I want to win a final and a title."
It is questionable whether his damaged knee will allow this now - on the way to the Grand Slam highlight in Wimbledon, Zverev does not want to take any risks.
Zverev: opening win against Robin Haase
With his laborious work win at the start of the Noventi Open, the ATP champion had shown that there is still a lot of room for improvement. But Zverev also knows: "The start of the lawn season is always a bit tricky. You just need practice to get used to the conditions."
How tricky the change from red ashes to grass, from slowest to fastest tennis surface, had been four days earlier. His first game at the lawn tournament in Stuttgart against Dustin Brown was lost. But instead of brooding, he wasted no time and immediately got back to work with his coach Ivan Lendl, who had missed the clay court season in Europe due to an allergy.
"I drove here in the evening. And then I was here with Ivan and we trained five to six hours a day," said Zverev after his opening success on Monday in Halle. The day before, however, the duo "only trained for three hours," the ATP champion continued, joking: "It was actually like a day off for me." The involuntary break on Tuesday caused by the knee did not suit him.