German tennis star Alexander Zverev admitted he was sad his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla couldn’t come to be with him in the first couple of days following a horrific French Open injury.
In the French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal, Zverev tore several ligaments in his ankle.
After the match, the scans revealed Zverev tore several ligaments in his ankle and he had to undergo a surgery to repair the damage in his ankle.
Thomalla, 32, is a German actress and she was busy in Greece filming when Zverev went down injured.
“In this phase, you want to be around the people you love the most. So it was disappointing for me that Sophia didn’t come. But that’s [how her] job is. My father and mother were there though,” Zverev told German Sunday newspaper Bild, as quoted on Sportskeeda.
Zverev: Parents had to help me with basically everything
The first couple of days were extremely tough for Zverev, who admitted to needing assist from his parents in almost everything.
“I couldn’t do anything alone: take a shower, go to the toilet. They took care of me like a little baby. It was so important to me,” Zverev said. “These two people have helped me the most.”
Zverev is set to be out for extended time and miss Wimbledon.
However, he is hopeful to be ready for the US Open.
If Zverev plays in New York, that will mean that he feels confident he can win the title.
“I won’t be someone who plays after being ready for it for one second. If I play the US Open then to win them and not for one or two rounds,” Zverev said. “I will only return if I have this form. I don’t know whether it will be the US Open because I would have to play one or two tournaments beforehand. But I haven’t written off New York.”