Alexander Zverev’s Mystery Injury Admission Raises Concerns Ahead of Madrid Open 4th Round

Alexander Zverev registered a 6-3, 7-6(2) victory over Terence Atmane in the third round of the Madrid Open to schedule his fourth-round match against Jakub Mensik. After his win, Zverev revealed that he is dealing with an injury.

Sascha is chasing his first title of the season. He, in fact, has yet to reach a final since last year’s Vienna Open, where Jannik Sinner came from a set down to defeat him. The last time Zverev won a title was at the 2025 Munich Open, but he failed to defend the title this year, losing to eventual runner-up Flavio Cobolli.

It was Zverev’s first meeting against Atmane. The Frenchman overcame cramps in his second-round match and battled past compatriot Ugo Humbert.

Several players have withdrawn from the tournament due to a mystery virus, including WTA ace and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek. At first, the blame was put on shrimp tacos, but Coco Gauff, who threw up on court and also had her vitals checked during a medical timeout, hadn’t eaten them.

Zverev, however, doesn’t seem to be dealing with the same virus as others, as it was rather some kind of injury he was dealing with during his match against Atmane.

I’m not gonna say what it is, not gonna say what kind of injury, but it was difficult at the end.

Alexander Zverev said during the on-court interview

Zverev is a two-time Madrid Open champion, winning in 2018 and 2021 by defeating Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini, respectively. He also reached the final in 2024 but failed to defeat seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Alexander Zverev on whether he has an advantage over Jannik Sinner on clay

Alexander Zverev is the winner of 24 singles titles, nine of which he has lifted on clay, including four Big Titles (won both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open twice). Zverev is one of the heavy favorites to win in the Spanish capital, but so is Jannik Sinner.

The World No.1 has yet to progress past the quarterfinals in Madrid and, in fact, it’s the only Masters 1000 tournament where he hasn’t yet played the semifinals. Zverev, at the press conference after his opening-round win, was asked whether he has an edge over Sinner on clay.

Firstly, the match [against Mariano Navone] was unique. I played the first set perfectly and then lost my concentration a bit, but that happens. It’s the first round. It’s not like you have to play like you do in the final, so it happens sometimes. Jannik is still far away from me, and he is also far away [from the final]. You need to get there first. If we play in the final in a week, I will be very happy. Another chance to play well with him.

Sinner, the winner of 27 titles, has so far lifted just two trophies on clay (2022 Croatia Open and this year’s Monte-Carlo Masters). Against Zverev in the head-to-head matchups, the 24-year-old holds a 9-4 lead and, in fact, has defeated him in their last eight meeting.

Sinner is chasing his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title following his wins at the 2025 Paris Masters, and this year’s Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters. He has become the second man, after Novak Djokovic, to win the first three Masters 1000 of the season and is also the eighth man to complete the Sunshine Double.

Sinner survived a scare in his opening-round match as Benjamin Bonzi took the first set off him after the tie-breaker, but couldn’t maintain the same intensity in the next two sets. The South Tyrol native then dismantled Elmer Moller to schedule his fourth-round match against Cameron Norrie.

Also read: Latwogang’s YouTube Livestream Fundraiser for Cancer Fighters Receives Generous Donation from Iga Swiatek

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