Alexander Zverev admits to injuries holding him back after lackluster semifinal defeat against Casper Ruud in the French Open
He revealed that he was suffering from a thigh strain that he pulled after a practice session before the match against Ruud.
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Alexander Zverev (Image via Twitter)
Alexander Zverev blamed physical issues after his lackluster show against 4th seed Casper Ruud in the semifinal of the 2023 French Open on Friday (June 9) on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The match ended up being a one-sided affair after Ruud clinched the victory with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.
The former World No. 2, in last year’s Grand Slam, damaged his ligament during the semifinal match against eventual champion Rafael Nadal and ended up leaving the court in a wheelchair. He missed the entire 2022 from then and made a comeback to the sport in January 2023.
After the present semi-final defeat, though he praised Ruud’s game, he revealed how he struggled while facing the Norwegian because the latter runs a lot. “I don’t want to take anything away from him, to be honest, but yeah, I had my struggles,” Zverev said at the post-match press conference when asked whether he was feeling 100% fit during the match.
“It’s a tough one because I think he played extremely well. I had one physical issue, which kind of against him you have to run a lot, you have to fight. Like the previous match, actually. Very, very similar,” he added and also revealed that he was suffering from a thigh strain that he pulled after a practice session before the match against Ruud.
After beating Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud will face Novak Djokovic
Last year, when Alexander Zverev injured his ligament in the semifinal match against Rafael Nadal, the latter reached the final and faced Casper Ruud. Ruud will be going into the Roland Garros final for the second consecutive time. But like last year, he is going to face another legend of the game- Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic, who is eyeing his 23rd Grand Slam, eased past the dangerous Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinal to reach the summit clash. That semifinal clash which was expected to be a blockbuster was rather a one-sided one as Alcaraz, who later admitted how he was dealing with nerves while facing the Serb, also dealt with cramps.
He experienced the cramps at the beginning of the third set which stopped him from moving at his best. He will now lose the World No.1 ranking points if Djokovic beats Ruud in the final. Djokovic has defeated the Norwegian four times in their previous encounters.
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Gouri Das
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