Alexander Zverev withdraws from Halle after retiring against Rafael Nadal

As was expected, world no. 3 Alexander Zverev will not compete at the upcoming ATP 500 event in Halle. Alexander will skip Halle for the first time in a career after he tore several lateral ligaments in his right foot during the Roland Garros semi-final against Rafael Nadal. Zverev gave his everything against Nadal and pushed the king of clay to the limits for over three hours. They played two mammoth sets, and Nadal led 7-6, 6-6 when the German hurt his right ankle and left the court in tears following his career’s first retirement. Nadal had to give his everything on a slow court under a roof against a determined rival, surviving four set points in the opener and coming from behind in the second. Those two sets brought almost 200 points, and Rafa took only four more than Alexander. Both players claimed five breaks, and they grabbed nearly half of the return points.

Alexander delivered a break in the encounter’s opening game and opened a 4-2 advantage. The German barely missed the first serve up to that point before his level dropped in game eight to experience a break and bring Nadal back to 4-4. Rafa took charge and created three set points on the return in game ten. Zverev survived them and held after deuces for 5-5. Nadal saved two break points in the 11th game and fell 6-2 behind in the tie break. The Spaniard delivered his A-game to rattle off five straight points and extend the battle. Zverev fended off two set points at 6-7 and 7-8 before Nadal cracked a forehand down the line winner at 10-9 to steal the opener in grueling 91 minutes!

Alexander Zverev experienced a nasty ankle injury at Roland Garros.

The second set kicked off with four consecutive breaks, and Nadal lost serve again to find himself 4-2 behind. Zverev hit a double fault in the seventh game to lose serve before stealing the rival’s serve for the fourth time in a row and opening a 5-3 gap. Despite an apparent struggle, Nadal fought hard and pulled the break back at the last moment following Zverev’s costly double fault in game nine. They both served well in the following three games to set another tie break. It never came, though, as Alexander twisted his right ankle in the 12th game’s last point and retired a couple of minutes later. The German will almost certainly miss Wimbledon, and we should expect him back on the court in July or August.

“Hey, guys! I’m 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 worldwide for the kind messages that I have received since yesterday. Your support means a lot to me right now! I will keep you updated as much as possible on further developments. See you next time, @rolandgarros!” Alexander Zverev said.