Alexander Zverev and the consequences of the very serious injury to his right ankle: he will not play Wimbledon

Alexander Zverev will not play Wimbledon. The German, who sustained an impressive right ankle injury during the Roland Garros semi-final against Rafael Nadal, has several torn ligaments, as initial tests have shown. And, as confirmed by his brother Miscia in an interview with the German newspaper offerthe British Grand Slam, which will be played from 27 June to 1 July, “is totally excluded”.

“If only one or two ligaments were torn, I could walk again next week and then work out, but if there are many affected, it could take several months,” added the elder Zverev.

In addition, he said that in the next few days Sascha will undergo further studies in Munich to find out the final diagnosis and be clearer on when he will be able to compete again. Although he is already talking about a recovery time of between six and eight weeks, so perhaps he would arrive in time to play the US Open, which will begin in late August.

With Zverev out, the scenario changed for the British Open, the great seasonal event on grass. The absence of the German, Olympic champion in Tokyo last year, was added to that of Daniil Medvedev, who will not be in London due to the decision of the organization of the tournament to exclude Russian and Belarusian players, as part of the sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine.

Without Medvedev (world number two) or Zverev (three), Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal would start as the top two seeds of the match. The Serbian, now number one in the world, entered the London competition as the first favorite. Meanwhile, the Spaniard, placed on the fourth step of the standings, would remain the second-seeded. Therefore, they would be positioned at opposite ends of the table, so they could only cross each other in a hypothetical ending.

Obviously we will have to wait to see if Rafa finally presented to the AELTC. The Majorcan, who after being crowned for the 14th time in Paris declared that he had played there infiltrated and with his left foot asleep, in the next few days will undergo a new treatment with pulsed radiofrequency injections, to try to eliminate the sensation of permanent pain he suffers in that foot for him Müller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative disease of the tarsal scaphoid. And he has already warned: “I wouldn’t want to miss Wimbledon. Playing with anti-inflammatories, yes; but with injections of anesthetic, like Roland Garros, no.”

In London there will be glory and one of the most coveted and legendary trophies on the tennis circuit. But no points. As the English Grand Slam will not distribute units for the ranking this year, a decision made by the ATP after the tournament banned the participation of Russians and Belarusians (although it could turn back if the organizers change positions and allow tennis players from those countries ). This means that everyone will lose the points earned in 2021 after the contest.

The most affected will be Djokovic. The Serbian will start giving up this Monday, because the 2,000 points of the Roland Garros 2021 title will be beaten, so 6,770 will remain and he will drop to third place. And since at Wimbledon he will not have the opportunity to defend the 2,000 he had added in the last edition as champion, the day after the final of the English Major he will be seventh in the standings, with 4,770 units.

Medvedev will return to number one on Monday (if he wins in s-Hertogenbosch, the tournament he is playing this week, he could reach 8,050 units) and, even if in the coming weeks he could lose up to 520 points (Queen semi-final, victory in Mallorca and eighth at Wimbledon), he will remain in command at least until 11 July.

After the appointment on the London lawn, a lot could happen with the ranking. Djokovic, for example, could fall even more if, due to his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid, he were to stay without playing the entire tour on North American hardcourt, in which he must defend 1,200 points from the US Open final. It is worth mentioning that the Serbian has already lost this year Indian wells Y You love me because, not being vaccinated, he could not enter the United States.

Medvedev will put a lot on the line even after his stay in London. On the North American hard court he will have to revalidate 3,770 units (150 from the final in Washington, 360 from the semifinal of the Cincinnati Masters, 1,000 from the title in Toronto and another 2,000 for the victory in Flushing Meadows). He will have to sign a good tour to keep his chances of continuing well.

Nadal, meanwhile, could add a lot in that part of the season, because only 500 points will be beaten by the Canadian Masters (corresponding to half of the 2019 title, still in force) and 45 by the round of 16 in Washington, the last tournament he played in the 2021 before closing the season due to foot problems. And since he’s touring before the US Open with 6,165, he’ll also have a chance to return to number one; as long as his foot allows him to continue competing. Even if it won’t just depend on him.

A special Wimbledon is coming, with many absences, no points up for grabs and a real possibility of seeing a Djokovic-Nadal in the final (who would fall if the Majorcan finally didn’t play the tournament). And a second half of the season is coming with an open phase in the fight for number one. Security PIN.