Alexander Zverev will miss Germany's crucial Davis Cup tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina due to a muscle injury he sustained at the 2023 US Open.
The tie is scheduled to be played this weekend across two days (September 16th - 17th) in Mostar, Bosnia. Zverev suffered the injury during his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open and which he needed a medical time-out.
The news comes as a massive setback in Germany's preparations for the tie particularly when Zverev was hot on the heels of a Top 10 return. And to rub salt into the wound, their No. 2 player Jan-Lennard Struff has not made the trip to Mostar due to a persistent hip injury.
Germany will rely on the experienced heads of Daniel Altmaier and Yannick Hanfmann who have both played some spectacular tennis this year. Zverev's place in the team has now gone to 28-year-old lefty Maximilian Marterer. Team captain Michael Kohlmann was conspicuous of Zverev's absence but believes his country has enough depth to win the tie.
"Alexander's loss is of course serious because he has found his way back to his old strength in the last few weeks and is an absolutely exceptional player. Of course, we would have liked to have had him there for this important game, but I am convinced that we will be strong enough to survive against Bosnia-Herzegovina even without him."
Marterer is a former Top-50 player but his career has been blighted by a series of injuries. He's managed to maintain a decent spell of good health this season and appears on the right trajectory to make the Top 100 again. Kohlmann admits Marterer is a suitable replacement for their injured star.
"Maximilian is in good shape at the moment and was ready to step in straight away. After a long injury break at the beginning of the year, he is currently on his way back to the top 100, where I think he belongs."
"He just reached the semi-finals of a Challenger tournament on clay last week and was also able to impress in the third round at Wimbledon after surviving qualification. I am sure that he will be an important support for us against Bosnia-Herzegovina."
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