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Alexander Zverev suffered an unfortunate end to his French Open campaign as the German picked up a nasty ankle injury in the semifinals, forcing him to retire. He was in the middle of an enthralling second-set tussle with Rafael Nadal when he rolled his ankle.
The 25-year-old later announced that he has suffered multiple ligament tears and is expected to fly to Germany to detail the next steps for his recovery.
Former player-turned-coach Paul Annacone spoke about the injury on Tennis Channel, and said he expects to see the German back in action this fall.
"It's just heartbreaking to see that. It was such a great battle, these guys were giving everything. Zverev did such a great job after a heartbreaking first set, I mean, no way he should lose that first set. Then he comes back in the second set, breaks Rafa, what, four or five times, gets into a tiebreak again and just to see that happen is crushing. I mean, I think we're going to see him this fall playing. I think he will be back on the tour playing this fall and he'll be ready to go," Annacone said.
A recap of Alexander Zverev's 2022 claycourt season
Alexander Zverev's claycourt season this year was solid if not spectacular, as the German reached the semifinals in three of the five tournaments he participated in, and the final in one.
The World No. 3 started his claycourt season with a semifinal appearance at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. He followed that up with a second-round defeat to Holger Rune at the BMW Open in Munich.
He then reached the final of the Madrid Masters, beating the likes of Marin Cilic, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Tsitsipas. In the title clash, he ran into Carlos Alcaraz, who won a one-sided match 6-3, 6-2. Following the Madrid Open, the German reached the semifinals of the Italian Open, where he once again lost to Tsitsipas.
The World No. 3 carried that form into Roland Garros and registered his first Slam win against a top-10 player when he beat Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. However, the tournament ended in disappointment as he picked up a serious injury that should put him on the sidelines for at least a few weeks.
