Alexander Zverev was playing his greatest tennis at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, and many believed he could make the final owing to Novak Djokovic’s dangerous conditions.
The German has returned to a very high level after the bad ankle injury suffered at the French Open 2022 and reached the final in Paris last month, surrendering to the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz despite a two-set advantage to one.
Sascha was performing admirably on grass, but a knee injury sustained during a fall against Cameron Norrie in the third round prohibited him from competing against Taylor Fritz in the last 16. Zverev refused to retreat from Wimbledon and faced off against the American, winning the first two sets owing to his excellent serving. His level plummeted with the passing of minutes, and the American triumphed in a comeback after a difficult battle.
During the press conference, Zverev admitted that he was not 100%: “The truth is I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t want to retire from Wimbledon and I’m glad I fought until the end of the match. I know what the injury is because I took an X-ray. I have a bone edema in my knee and there’s also a tear in my knee capsule. The reason was the fall during the match against Norrie. Surgery is not necessary, but the pain is quite strong now. I couldn’t even walk until just before the match with Fritz, but then I felt better and decided to play. I was expressing great tennis at Wimbledon this year, I felt really good. I think I’ve done my best and I’m proud of what I’ve done.”
Zverev worries the fans
Alexander Zverev’s knee injury did not seem particularly serious, but the recent statements of his brother Mischa did worry fans. “Sascha saw a doctor again. He took 40 milliliters of fluid from his knee. Unfortunately, there is now a suspicion of something worse. Tomorrow he will see the doctor again at home in Monaco. More detailed pictures will then be taken. Maybe it’s more than a bone bruise after all. If it’s a fracture or a hairline fracture, we’ll have to see. But then the Olympics are in danger” – Mischa said via Amazon Prime.
It would be a huge blow for Sascha, who had returned to the highest levels and was undermining the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev put a lot of emphasis on the Paris Olympics, where he hoped to win the gold medal again after the feat in Tokyo in 2021. The hope is that the knee injury is not so serious and can be present in Paris.
During the press conference after the match against Zverev, Taylor Fritz talked about the German’s physical condition: “I think he was annoyed by someone in my corner, but I didn’t really understand who he was. On his knee injury, it seems to me that he started limping when I went ahead of a break in the fifth set. Until that moment, she seemed fine. I also happened to have bad knee hypertension, but I played quite normally. I tried to play like he was in perfect shape.”
Despite his exceptional talent, Sascha has yet to win his first major championship. The German came near to accomplishing this feat at the 2020 US Open, but lost to Dominic Thiem, and at the 2024 Roland Garros, where he was defeated in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev appears to be on course to win his maiden Grand Slam, hoping that his physique does not fail him with additional injuries. If he does not compete in the Paris Olympics, fans believe Sascha can recuperate in time for the US Open in late August. Last year, Alexander advanced to the quarterfinals in New York, losing to Alcaraz after a close struggle with Sinner in the round of 16.
