Alexander Zverev gives the all-clear: "The ankle is okay"
Two days after his training crash and the prematurely canceled session, the 21-year-old presented himself completely relaxed at his official press conference on Saturday.
by Ulrike Weinrich from Melbourne
last edit:
Jan 12, 2019, 09:57 am
And "Sascha" even caused a few laughs in the large interview room on the fourth floor of the media center, which is about 200 meters from the Rod Laver Arena as the crow flies.
When a journalist asked if Zverev or a family member had his dog Lövik's Instagram account, Zverev replied, "I hope he doesn't do it himself." The fact is: A fan is probably responsible for the social media "account" of the poodle, which is followed by 1040 subscribers.
"The foot still hurts a little, there is a bruise on the bone, but I'm not so worried"
However, the anonymity of the account creator was just as unsettling for the winner of the ATP final in London as he was for his injury, which he sustained in a crash on the Margaret Court Arena baseline two days earlier.
"The ankle is okay, just a little swollen. The foot still hurts a little, there is a bruise on the bone, but I'm not worried so much," said Zverev, who opposed his left ankle in his first-round match on Tuesday the Slovenian Aljaz Bedene wants to tap extra.
Zverev does not see himself as one of the top favorites
The world ranked fourth at the "Happy Slam" is not one of the top favorites despite winning the title on the Thames last November. In his eyes, these are again the usual suspects: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and "above all" industry leader Novak Djokovic.
On Friday, Zverev, who had never made it past the third round of the "Happy Slam", took a creative break that had nothing to do with the injury. "The day off was planned for a long time because I used to train for four to five hours every day," he said. It was two hours on Saturday. And the most important thing: The ankle held!
At the Hopman Cup, "Sascha" alongside Wimbledon champion performed well overall. But he made no secret of the fact that the season doesn't really start for him until Tuesday.
"Now you have to start playing really good tennis," said Zverev, "I hope I'm ready for it." He wants to have fun playing in the days of the first major in 2019. And he tries to take the pressure off: "You don't have to think that if you lose, it's the end of the world."
The feeling is great after intensive preparation with "a lot of hard work". "I am very satisfied. Physically I am on a different level again." By the way, Zverev also ran into Djokovic during the units in a trendy fitness club in his adopted home Monaco.
Oh yes: a duel with the top seeded Serb, acting Wimbledon and US Open champ, can only happen in the Australian summer on the Yarra River in the semifinals at the earliest.