Zverev to a good start in the Monte Carlo Tennis Tournament
Wednesday – 21 Ramadan 1444 AH – April 12, 2023 AD Issue number [
16206]
Zverev recovered from injury (Archyde.com)
Monte Carlo: «Middle East»
German world number 16 Alexander Zverev has successfully returned to clay courts since his injury in the French Roland Garros semi-finals last year, defeating Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters (with a thousand points). yesterday.
Zverev, who faces Spaniard Roberto Bautista in the next round, said: “He (Public) plays well tactically, he is very smart. It was a strong match, and I am very happy to cross.”
The German, who suffered an ankle injury, added, “Last year, I played the best tennis of my life, especially in Roland Garros, and I must get used to playing again on clay, and I am not afraid of slipping.”
The former world number two, who will turn twenty-six on April 20, ended his season last year after he tore ligaments in his right ankle, while he was ahead of Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the French Open semi-finals. He did not return to competition until early January (January) in Australia on hard ground in the United Cup competitions (two defeats). Since then, he has achieved only seven victories in six ATP tournaments, reaching the semi-finals of the Dubai tournament (losing to Andrei Rublev) and losing 0-6, 4-6 against Japan’s Taro Daniel in the Miami tournament. Zverev hopes that the Monte Carlo tournament will be the best preparation for the Roland Garros tournament.
It is noteworthy that the Italian, ranked 22nd in the world, Matteo Berrettini, also qualified for the second round at the expense of the American Maxime Cressi 6-4, 6-2, to set a date with Argentine Francisco Serundolo, who defeated Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4. Berettini, who reached the final of Wimbledon in 2021, did not win any match at Monaco stadiums during his two previous participations in 2019 and 2021.
And if Berettini needed a year to renew the date with victories in these tournaments, the Austrian Dominic Thiem, ranked third in the world previously, achieved his first victory in nearly two years by defeating Frenchman Richard Gasquet quite easily 6-1, 6-4.
The last victory of Tim, the 2020 Flushing Meadows champion, dates back to May 2021, when he defeated Hungarian Marton Fusovic in the second round of the Rome Tournament, before falling in the next round to Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
After that, the Austrian, the runner-up of Roland Garros for the years 2018 and 2019, and the Australian Open for 2020, made only four appearances in the thousand-point Masters tournaments due to the curse of injuries, and his career ended in the first round.
The 29-year-old, who achieved only his third victory this season, hopes to regain the level he was in before the injury he suffered in his wrist in 2021 and 2022, before the start of the Roland Garros tournament.
France
Tennis