Alexander Zverev has revealed that he tore “several lateral ligaments” in his right foot in the injury that ended his run at the French Open on Friday.
Zverev, 25, suffered the injury in the second set against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Roland Garros as he went to save a game point. As he stretched for a forehand, his ankle gave out underneath him and he was left in agony on the clay.
The world No. 3 left the court in a wheelchair, and after a hiatus, returned on crutches to retire from the match — at that stage it was 7-6, 6-6 in favor of Nadal.
Zverev underwent scans and tests in Paris and gave an update on his Instagram page. He said: “Hey guys! I am now on my way back home. Based on the first medical checks, it looks like I have torn several lateral ligaments in my right foot. I will be flying to Germany on Monday to make further examinations and to determine the best and quickest way for me to recover.
“I want to thank everyone all over the world for the kind messages that I have received since yesterday. Your support means a lot to me right now! I will try to keep you updated as much as possible on further developments.”
With Wimbledon just three weeks out, the severity of the injury means Zverev will likely miss the championship despite being included on the entry list Friday evening.
Nadal sent his best wishes to Zverev on Friday, saying: “Only thing that I can say is I hope he’s not too bad. Hopefully it’s just the normal thing when you turn your ankle, and hopefully [nothing is broken]. That’s what everybody hopes, and I was with Sascha, [it] looks that they need to keep checking.
“I think he started the match playing amazing. I know how much [this] means to him, fight to win his first Grand Slam.
“We are colleagues, we have been practicing together a lot of times. And see a colleague on the tour like this, even if for me it’s a dream be in the final of Roland Garros, of course that way is not the way that we want it to be. Feels very sorry for, if you are human, you should feel very sorry for a colleague.”