His victory in the Masters 1000 in Rome allows Alexander Zverev to be able to “dream again”, two years after his serious ankle injury at Roland Garros, he confided on Sunday. “I can dream again, that’s what this week proved to me,” summed up the German at a press conference after his victory in the final against the Chilean Nicolas Jarry (6-4, 7-5).
“My first win here (in 2017) was extremely special. I was young, I had confidence in myself, I knew it was coming. After my injury, on the other hand, I did not know when and if I would win a title of this importance again,” continued the 5th in the world.
In June 2022, while facing Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros, Zverev was forced to retire after seriously injuring his right ankle. Having undergone surgery, he had not played again all season. His coronation in Rome is his most important victory since this injury, three years after his last Masters 1000 title (August 2021 in Cincinnati). “There was a lot of uncertainty as to whether I would get back to the level that would allow me to regain. I am happy with how the week went,” he said.
Zverev, who will enter Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9) ranked 4th in the world, refused to present himself as one of the favorites for the Paris tournament. “As I have said in the past, when I play badly I can be beaten by anyone, and when I play well I can beat anyone. I just hope to bring the form I had here to Roland-Garros and play my best tennis,” he explained.
The German, who is still chasing a first Grand Slam title, admitted that he had a particular affection for the Parisian tournament. “It’s the Grand Slam tournament that I look forward to the most every year. Because it’s on clay, because it’s the most physical, because it’s the hardest to win in my opinion,” underlined Zverev, who now has 22 ATP titles to his name.
“Roland-Garros is also where I have the strongest memories, good or bad, even if I was two points away from winning the US Open in 2020. At Roland-Garros, I was all close to going to the final in 2021, I played my best tennis there in 2022. “This is really the tournament where I want to do well,” he concluded.