The German Alexander Zverevten months after his serious right ankle injury against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, he rediscovered himself on clay and defeated Kazakh Alexander Bublik on Tuesday, 3-6, 6-2 and 6-4in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000.
It was Friday, June 2, 2022, in a full semifinal of Roland Garros, and before the ‘king’ of clay, Nadal, in the ‘tie break’ of the second set, when Zvevev sprained his right ankle trying to slip to return the ball sent by the Spanish
He fell to the track with an obvious gesture of pain, crying, he had to retire to the locker room and flipped back to say he was giving up and hug Nadal. The German tore ankle ligaments. Several months of difficult recovery await him and, little by little, he will gain confidence and the way to get back on the slopes and regain his position among the elite of the world circuit.
At this time, he has already played this year in Indianapolis and Miami in March. At first, he fell on the third turn; in the second, in the first round. Both tournaments on hard surfaces.
This Tuesday, on the other hand, in Monte Carlo, where he reached the semifinals in 2018 and 2022, Zverev (n.16 ATP, thirteenth in the tournament) He tasted the ground again in an official match. He did this against Bublik, a difficult opponent, Installed in position 53, and to whom he lost in the previous two, and without winning a set: Rotterdam 2021 and Montpellier 2022.
in Monte Carlo Zverev’s ‘revenge’ came, with suffering, as he had to overcome the loss in the first set (6-3). The German follows the Kazakh, more accurate in his service.
Everything started to change from the second, Don Zverev put himself in a favorable 3-0, after breaking his rival’s serve in the second game. In the fifth Bublik returned the break, but immediately after he received the answer from an inspired German, more accurate with his serve, and scored three consecutive games that gave him the magician (6-2) and went to the third set .
The final sleeve was very even, with a break in the first six games, and both give some points on their respective serves. The decision, and in favor of Zverev, will come in the tenth game, on the Kazakh serve, and on the third ball he needs to win the tournament.
Zverev returned to earth with victory, with a smile. Now another tough rival awaits him in the round of 16, Roberto Bautistawhich he has met five times (the last four with victories for the German).
In other matches of the day, Czech Jiri Lehecka beat Finn Emil Ruusuvuori (6-1, 7-5); and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov against American Ben Shelton (6-1, 3-6, 6-3).
Source: La Verdad
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