Alexander Zverev is set to test out his toe with the doctors after injuring himself while serving for a spot in the third round of the Shanghai Masters. The No. 3 seed appeared in control against tricky qualifier Valentin Royer but suddenly doubled over in pain while serving at 5-4 in the second set and had to call the physio mid-game.
Zverev played on and sealed a 6-4 6-4 victory before visiting the physio again in the locker room. But the German player still doesn’t know what the injury is, and he’s hoping to be ready in time for his next match against Arthur Rinderknech.
The 28-year-old won the first point on his serve at 5-4 in set two when he felt something in his toe and limped to his bench to wait for the physio. They had a brief chat, but Zverev did not receive any treatment.
After booking his spot in round three, Zverev had another conversation with the trainer and agreed to meet in the locker rooms after he got off court. The world No. 3 then explained what happened in a brief on-court interview.
“I don’t know, I landed funny on my toe and then after that, barely could do a step, so we’ll see what it is. Not happy to end the match like that, of course, but definitely happy with the level in the first round of the Masters, that was quite good, I think,” he said.
Zverev has since been to see the physio, but he still has no real answers and is now set to visit the doctors on Sunday.
Giving an update to the ATP, the former finalist in Shanghai explained: “I really don’t know what happened, so we’re going to check it out.
“There’s nothing with the bone, the physio told me. But we haven’t had a scan or anything like that. It might be a tear in a capsule or something like that, but we just don’t know.
“We’re going to talk to the doctors and see what we’re going to do. I hope it’s nothing serious and I can continue building on something without further injuries.
“It seems like I can’t catch a break this year. It’s been a rough year from a physical standpoint. We just talked about it in the locker room and the last time I played a tournament pain-free was the Australian Open.”
During the recent China Open, Zverev explained that a lingering back issue had been bothering him throughout the summer and that he had an injection to help him play in Beijing. Now, a toe issue could derail his Shanghai Masters campaign.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist now has a day to recover before he meets Rinderknech in the third round. Zverev will be out for revenge after Rinderknech stunned him in the first round of Wimbledon over the summer.
Ranked down at No. 72 in the world at the time, Rinderknech outlasted Zverev in a five-set match that spanned two days, winning 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-7 6-4.