Alexander Zverev suffered a horrific injury during his semifinal match at Roland Garros, but reports suggest he will only be out for a shorter period than initially imagined.
Zvevev was in splendid form at the French Open, reaching the semifinal of the clay major for the second straight year. He had accounted for one of his best wins of the season by defeating the new rising star of men's tennis, Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarterfinal of the tournament.
The German had matched Rafael Nadal for over two hours of their highly competitive semifinal despite losing the first set in a tie-break. But he slipped on the baseline in the second set tie-break and injured his ankle.
The injury was so bad that television broadcasters did not show it on replays. After getting off-court treatment, Zverev made the tough decision to retire from the match.
He later indicated in an Instagram post that he likely tore a few ligaments inside the ankle, but no confirmation has yet been made. He traveled back home to Germany for further testing, and he will undoubtedly update the tennis community about it in the coming days.
According to German reporter Jannik Schneider, who cited sources from L'Equipe, Zverev is expected to miss between six and eight weeks of tennis.
Given the nature of the injury and the pain he experienced, this is probably the best news for Zverev's fans, as the damage is not substantial enough to force him out for the rest of the season.
However, he will definitely miss Wimbledon and all the tournaments preceding the third Grand Slam. He can return before the US Open. So far this season, the 25-year-old has achieved a win-loss record of 19-10 but has yet to win a title.
Besides reaching the semi-finals of the French Open, he was also runner-up at two Tour events in Montpellier and Madrid.