Alexander Zverev pulls out of US Open due to ankle surgery

World No 2 Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from the US Open as he continues his recovery following ankle surgery, tournament organisers announced on Monday. The 25-year-old underwent surgery in June after damaging ligaments in his right ankle.

“Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from the US Open. Get well soon, Alex!” US Open said in a statement. Zverev has been sidelined since June after he suffered the injury against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Roland Garros. Ahead of the second-set tiebreak, Zverev rolled his right ankle while chasing a ball behind the baseline, and was forced to leave the court in a wheelchair. He later underwent surgery for three torn lateral ligaments in the affected ankle.

The 25-year-old German was more than three hours into an epic semi-final with Rafael Nadal when he badly rolled his ankle while moving to his right. The World No. 2 crashed to the ground and was taken off the court in a wheelchair before returning several minutes later to shake the hand of the chair umpire and hug Nadal.

“I am now on my way back home,” the World No. 2 wrote on Instagram in June. “Based on the first medical checks, it looks like I have torn several lateral ligaments in my right foot.” “I will be flying to Germany to determine the best and quickest way for me to recover. I want to thank everyone all over the world for the kind messages that I have received since yesterday.”

Zverev had played 27 consecutive Grand Slam main draws since his 2015 debut before this injury also forced him out of Wimbledon. He had played seven straight US Open main draws, and in addition to finishing as runner-up to Dominic Thiem in 2020, reached the semifinals last year. American Stefan Kozlov moves into the main draw to replace Zverev. The 24-year-old Floridian will make his US Open main draw debut after falling in qualifying on six previous occasions.

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