Zverev undergoes surgery; reveals all three lateral ligaments in right ankle were torn

Berlin, June 8 (IANS): German tennis player Alexander Zverev has undergone surgery in his right ankle to repair the torn ligaments he suffered during the Roland Garros semifinal against Spanish stalwart Rafael Nadal.

Zverev, who was forced to pull out of the clash midway due to injury, had revealed post-match that he had several torn ligaments in his right foot. The German had to leave the court on a wheelchair after he badly rolled his right ankle, moving to his right when tracking down a Nadal forehand deep behind the baseline.

Zverev cried in pain following the fall and had to be assisted into a wheelchair by the physio and Nadal, who quickly made his way round the net to help support the 25-year-old.

On Wednesday, Zverev posed an image of his on Instagram, recuperating from surgery, and wrote, “We all have our own journey in life. This is part of mine. Next week I’ll reach a career high ranking of number 2 in the world, but this morning I had to undergo surgery. After further examination in Germany, we received confirmation that all three of the lateral ligaments in my right ankle were torn.”

Zverev is currently the No.3-ranked singles player in the world but will go past Russia’s Daniil Medvedev following his run to the French Open semifinals.

The German said the aim was to return to competition as quickly as possible.

“To return to competition as quickly as possible, to ensure all the ligaments heal properly, and to reclaim full stability in my ankle, surgery was the best choice. My rehab starts now and I’ll do everything to come back stronger than ever! I am continuing to receive so many messages and would like to thank everyone once again for supporting me during such a difficult time,” he added.