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Alexander Zverev's ankle injury, which he sustained during his French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal, has cost him his second Grand Slam in a row, as the German was forced to pull out of the 2022 US Open today.
A former finalist at the event, Zverev would have been the No. 2 seed in the event if he had been fit for the showing at Flushing Meadows. The World No. 2 had hinted in the lead-up to the Grand Slam that he would try his best to get himself ready in time for the New York Major. However, the German decided not to risk his ankle and health without proper preparation.
His place in the main draw has now been taken up by American Stefan Kozlov and Nadal will take up the honor of being the second seed.
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Tennis fans on social media, however, were far less sympathetic towards the 25-year-old, given the allegations of domestic abuse levied against him by his ex-girlfriend still remaining unresolved. While a player pulling out of a Grand Slam, especially someone as highly rated as Alexander Zverev, would have usually been mourned, users on Twitter were unusually ecstatic in this particular case.
One fan remarked that the news of the World No. 2 pulling out made them happy even though it was a Monday.
"Maybe mondays aren't bad after all."
To be fair, Zverev did have his fair share of fans who wished him all the best and hoped he would recover soon, with one fan tweeting along the same lines.
"Unfortunate. Hope he comes back strong for the Australian Open next year."
But they were clearly in the minority. Here are a few more reactions from fans:
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Alexander Zverev now has no chance of becoming World No. 1 at the end of the US Open
Alexander Zverev had a slim chance of becoming World No. 1 at the conclusion of the US Open this year, but his withdrawal has extinguished any prospect of that happening.
Having reached the semifinals in New York last year, the German was defending 720 points in the event. He will, therefore, have 5040 points to his name at the end of the tournament, which is significantly less than what current World No. 3 Rafael Nadal will have even with a first-round exit from Flushing Meadows.
There is a good likelihood that the German might even slip out of the top-5 if others like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud get a string of favorable results. Meanwhile, the World No. 2 is part of Germany's line-up for the Davis Cup matches scheduled to take place in September, which is where he is assumed to be back in action.
