Alexander Zverev (12° del ranking ATP) lost to the czech Use Lehecka (81°) in the match corresponding to the second date of the United Cup. In any case, beyond the defeat, the good news is that the German was able to compete again after his long absence from the circuit due to the injury that took him close to seven months of recovery.
To find the last official match played by the German you have to go back to June 3, 2022. That day, during the Roland Garros semifinals, he was playing a great game against Rafael Nadal. The first set had been left in the hands of the Spaniard 7-6 (8). However, at game point at 6-5 in the second set, the German sprained his ankle and, between screams and cries of pain, he had to leave the stadium in a wheelchair. A detail to account for how even the meeting was is that they had been playing for more than three hours and had not even completed two sets.
A few days later the injury was known with certainty and he had to undergo an surgery for the rupture of three lateral ligaments of the right ankle. Although he maintained his hopes of reaching the US Open and the Davis Cup, the truth is that his return to the circuit had to wait a little longer. In addition, during rehabilitation he suffered new complications, such as a bone edema in the foot that they denied him to return within the established deadlines.
Before the United Cup, Zverev was able to play a handful of exhibition matches played in Asia. In Saudi Arabia he defeated Dominic Thiem by 10-8 and 10-7 and fell against Daniil Medvedev by 6-0 and 6-4. In the United Arab Emirates, for her part, she outperformed Novak Djokovic (6-3 and 6-4) already Andreas Seppi (6-4 and 6-2). Ultimately he lost to Félix Auger-Aliassime by 6-4 and 6-3.
For now, in this United Cup he had the chance to officially return to the circuit in a season in which he will seek to reach the same level he knew before the serious injury he suffered. However, he is aware that this will not happen overnight: “It is clear that my tennis is very far from where I want it to be. I get tired much faster than usual. I have to keep getting used to it and improving.”he admitted at a press conference after the loss to Lehecka.
