Alexander Zverev defeated Thiem after a long break, he was not enough for Medvedev. What’s next for the Diriyah Tennis Cup?

Alexander Zverev will never remember Friday, June 3, 2022 in a good way. Back then, the Russian-born German tennis player had to abandon his match against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros when he suffered a nasty injury. The current world No. 12 only returned in early December, winning a match at an event in Saudi Arabia.

In a seemingly innocent ball catch-up, Zverev mis-stepped in the semi-finals on the Paris clay and tore ligaments in his right ankle. He underwent surgery during a six-month layoff, and has scheduled his return for September’s Davis Cup.

However, other health problems prevented him from doing so, as he developed bone edema during training. After another break, he took part in a star-studded exhibition tournament in the historic city of Diriyah, which incidentally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Before that, the Olympic champion from Tokyo played with his older brother Mischa, but it was only a charity event. On 2 December, he presented his foundation, which helps to get medicines to children in developing countries.

On Thursday, he had a bigger challenge when he faced Dominic Thiem, who is currently ranked 105th in the ATP rankings, in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

In the morning, Zverev defeated his Austrian opponent 2: 0. The results of the sets were 10::8 and 10::7. The special rules for the Diriyah Tennis Cup were to blame, as only two supertiebreaks were played. But this probably didn’t bother the two-time winner of the Tournament of Champions so much.

I’m finally back!

In an interview with Eurosport before the start of the match, he admitted that he was excited to be back. “I’m happy to be back on the court, here with the best players in the world. Just to be back in this atmosphere,” the 25-year-old let himself be heard.

“The injury taught me to be more patient and appreciate the little things. When I took my first steps, I was happy like a little kid. When I was able to walk for the first time, I felt like I had won the biggest tournament in the world, ” he said of his recovery.

In the afternoon, Zverev started his next round match. It was a classic complete sets match. However, the German did not fare so well against Daniil Medvedev. First the Russian gave him an unpopular canard, then he lost the second game 4::6.

For the sake of completeness, let us add that the Diriyah Tennis Cup continues on Friday with the semi-final matches. The matches Cameron Norrie – Taylor Fritz and Stan Wawrinka – Daniil Medvedev will also be shown on Eurosport screens.

Zverev himself will take part in a doubles match later in the afternoon. He will form a doubles pair with Thiem and together they will face the Italian-Russian duo Matteo Berrettini – Andrey Rublyov.

Just before Christmas, the owner of 19 singles trophies from the ATP circuit will take part in another exhibition event. Zverev is expected to face Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios at the World Tennis League in Dubai.

Sources: Diriyah Tennis Cup, Eurosport, ATP