It appears Olympic gold medalist and future world number two Alexander Zverev of Germany will be out long term from the injury he suffered in the semifinals of the French Open on Friday. According to Yasmin Syed of Express on Sunday, Zverev tore several ligaments in his ankle right before the second set tiebreak was about to start in his semifinal match against eventual champion Rafael Nadal of Spain.
It appears the time frame we are looking at for Zverev to be out is six to eight weeks according to L’Equipe. Even that time frame appears to be optimistic at this time. Due to the fact Zverev was in complete pain and agony, he could be out significantly longer.
Due to the fact the Russians are banned from Wimbledon because of the controversial Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zverev would have been ranked number one at the only major of the year that is held on grass. But with Zverev injured and Daniil Medvedev of Russia not invited, Novak Djokovic of Serbia will be seeded first at Wimbledon, just like he was at the French Open.
How Djokovic is ranked higher at this time than Rafael Nadal is mind boggling. Nadal has had a sensational 2022 season, with wins at the Australian Open and French Open.
Zverev also received well wishes from a notable German tennis player from the past. According to tennisuptodate.com, Zverev obtained a message from six-time grand slam champion Boris Becker, who wished him the best in his recovery. Becker is currently in prison in England for bankruptcy charges.
