ATP Halle/Westphalia: Alexander Zverev cancels participation
Alexander Zverev will miss the ATP 500 tournament in Halle/Westphalia due to his injury at the French Open.
by p.m
last edit: Jun 06, 2022, 02:14 pm
Olympic champion Alexander Zverev missed participation in the ATP 500 tournament in Halle / Westphalia after suffering a serious injury in the semifinals of the French Open. The 25-year-old, third in the world rankings, twisted his ankle in a thrilling duel with Rafael Nadal at the end of the second set and tore several outer ligaments after an initial diagnosis. "It's unbelievably bitter for Sascha, he played an outstanding tournament and had a real chance of winning the title and being number one in the world," said tournament director Ralf Weber, dismayed. "Of course we would have liked to see him play in Halle, but the important thing now is that he recovers quickly. We wish him all the best.” Regardless of the injury, Zverev will be second in the world rankings for the first time on June 13.
The South African Lloyd Harris (ATP 37), who reached the quarter-finals in Halle/Westphalia last year, will also not start due to injury. Meanwhile, ex-top ten professional Fabio Fognini (Italy/ATP 52) is in the main field. For "Fogna", who rose to the "Bel Floor" of the rankings for the first time in 2019 after his success at the Masters event in Monte Carlo, it is the debut in the East Westphalian town of Lindenstadt. The 35-year-old Italian, who is married to 2015 US Open winner Flavia Pennetta and has three children together, is known for his emotional demeanor on the pitch as well as his sometimes sensational shots.
Meanwhile, the cancellations are proving to be a stroke of luck for the other national professionals: As a so-called “alternate”, the German number two, Daniel Altmaier (ATP 59) from Kempen, is moving into the field of 32. The wildcard originally intended for Altmaier will instead be given to Davis Cup player Oscar Otte (ATP 61), who thus avoids the "detour" via qualification and is the second German to be in the main draw. This in turn means that veteran Peter Gojowczyk (ATP 95) is in the qualification field and is fighting there alongside Dominik Koepfer (ATP 96) for entry into the main field.
Tournament director Ralf Weber explains the cancellations: "Of course it's a shame when players have to cancel their participation due to injury. All the better that Sascha Zverev has a multi-year contract with the Terra Wortmann Open and will play with us until 2024.” At the same time, he emphasizes that he is “incredibly” happy for the other German professionals: “I know that our tournament with the outstanding mood for every German is always a special highlight on the tour. And vice versa, it's also great for the fans to have so many members of the Davis Cup team at the start."
French Open winners Rojer/Arevalo serve in Halle/Westphalia
Meanwhile, fans in Halle/Westphalia can look forward to two Grand Slam champions: the duo of Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo are coming to Halle/Westphalia as the reigning Roland Garros winners. The experienced Dutchman and the man from El Salvador defeated the Croatian-American combination Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek 6:7(4), 7:6(5) and 6:3 in an exciting game after just over three hours of play lot. It is a historic title win for both: Arevalo is the first major winner from Central America ever, while Rojer at 40 years and nine months became the oldest Grand Slam winner of the Open Era, replacing the American Mike Bryan.
Rojer/Arevalo, who are now in the world rankings 15 and 14, crown their season so far, in which the tournament victories at the 250 events in Delray Beach and Dallas are already on the books. In the “Race to Turin”, Rojer/Arevalo jump to second place after triumphing at Roland Garros. "It's always an honor for us to have former and current Grand Slam winners as guests, which adds even more value to the doubles competition," says tournament director Ralf Weber. "The two are of course among the favourites, but our doubles field is really exciting and attractive this year."
Also among the favorites are Marcel Granollers (Spain/ATP Double 7) and Horacio Zeballos (Argentina/ATP Double 4), who won the Masters events in Cincinnati and Madrid last year. The German world-class duo Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies (ATP doubles 16/28) as well as Daniel Altmaier and Oscar Otte, who were given a wildcard by tournament director Weber, are also playing for the title. In addition, the individual stars Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime as well as Hubert Hurkacz and Sebastian Korda have registered. Auger-Aliassime and Hurkacz reached the final together last year, but were defeated by Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau.