Alexander Zverev has to stop training after fall - new worries before Australian Open
In a training match against the Australian Marc Polmans, the 21-year-old buckled unhappily on Thursday in the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, initially lay on the baseline for a few seconds and limped off the court after a short break in treatment.
by Ulrike Weinrich
last edit: Jan 10, 2019, 07:13 am
"Mr. Zverev is unable to continue," said the chair umpire, who gave the duel an official character in front of around 500 spectators. Before that, coach Ivan Lendl had rushed onto the pitch and had helped his protégé to get up.
Zverev still played two points at 4: 1, but the restriction was noticeable. A physio was summoned who briefly checked the left ankle of the fourth in the world rankings.
A towel for the fans, then "Sascha" hobbled out of the arena
But Zverev himself shook his head and decided to cancel the training session. A little later he tossed his towel to a fan in the wide circle and left the arena bent.
Despite the recent setback shortly before the start of the first Grand Slam tournament, his mother Irina still seemed relatively relaxed in the catacombs. But concerns about the winner of the ATP finals of 2018 are increasing immediately before the "Happy Slam" kicks off in the Australian summer.
Strong first training match - then the mishap happened
After decent performances at the Hopman Cup alongside Angelique Kerber in Perth, Zverev had only canceled his start at the World Tennis Challenge in Adelaide at the weekend. The reason: a thigh injury.
Then on Thursday afternoon local time he made a strong impression during the first endurance test of the day, a training match against the Australian Jason Kusler. Zverev won the set 6: 2 after 36 minutes and delighted the audience with temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius and gusty wind even with two tweeters.
Afterwards the second local hero for "Sascha" was ready. When Zverev tried to hit Polmans in the backhand corner after 19 minutes of play, he buckled and initially lay there. A murmur echoed through the third largest arena in Melbourne Park, the shock was written in the face of some visitors.
Originally, Zverev was supposed to play a training game against Dominic Thiem on Thursday afternoon. However, this was canceled at short notice.