“I haven’t been out there since the accident” – Zverev speaks about anxiety prior to playing on Philippe-Chatrier

No 22 seed Alexander Zverev has confessed to feeling anxious prior to his Philippe-Chatrier second-round match at Roland-Garros, the first time he’s stepped on this court since his ankle injury last year

Bren Gray

June 2, 2023

This time last year, Alexander Zverev was in devastating form. After defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros 2022, the German looked like one of the only players who could potentially threaten Rafael Nadal’s 14th title at the Grand Slam.

Zverev had made the semi-finals of Monte-Carlo and Rome, the final of Madrid, and was playing Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of Roland Garros.

Deep in the second set, tied at 6-6 in a match that had already gone almost three hours, it all went wrong when Zverev slid to his right to return a ball. The cracking of his ankle echoed around the stadium, as did his cries of pain.

That was the last point the then world No 3 played all year.

Philippe-Chatrier win critical for Zverev mentally

Zverev confessed that prior to his second-round match against Alex Molcan, he went out onto Court Philippe-Chatrier to revisit the scene of his horrific accident.

“Yeah, I did (feel anxious). I did a little bit. That’s why I think before the match I went out on court just to see it because I haven’t seen it, I haven’t been out there at all since the accident.”

Mentally, Zverev believes it was critical for him to become accustomed to the court again, prior to playing his second-round match.

“That was, I think, quite important for me. Then during the match, I was extremely excited to be out there. I was extremely excited to be playing on that court again. I wanted to do the best I could.”

“Honestly, it was quite nice for me to get out there, especially after last year. I think it was a great atmosphere. It was a great feeling for me. I’m definitely happy with how everything went.”

Even more crucial for Zverev, will have been achieving a second-round win over Molcan.

Zverev hungry for more at Roland-Garros

Since his injury, Zverev has struggled to return to his best in 2023.

The German is 0-6 against top 20 players in 2023, and only has two top 50 wins to his name this year. Coming into Roland-Garros 16-14 on the season, Zverev was determined to right the ship with a deep run.

“It’s definitely a tournament I want to win and also do great. So yeah, there’s still a small part missing in that, but all in all, I enjoy being out here.”

Next up, the No 22 seed will play No 12 seed Frances Tiafoe, in what should be a blockbuster third-round encounter.