Alexander Zverev happy with current level after reaching first ATP semifinal since ankle injury
Alexander Zverev recently booked his spot in the last four of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships, his first semifinal run since the devastating ankle injury he sustained at last year's French Open.
Taking on Lorenzo Sonego in the quarterfinals on Thursday, the German won 7-5, 6-4 to complete a resounding victory. Speaking at his press conference after the victory, the former World No. 2 was asked if he had a timeline in mind for how his comeback was supposed to go.
Zverev himself was unsure, remarking instead that he was happy with how he has fared in Dubai this week. Having made it to the semifinals at a tournament that boasted such a strong line-up, he was brimming with pride at the progress he has made since that unfortunate injury.
"I don't think I'm playing bad now, so... I'm in the semifinals of Dubai. We got to kind of respect that in a way, as well. This tournament has five top-10 players, I don't know how many top-20 players," Zverev said.
"The cut for the draw is about 25 in the world I feel like. There's no bad players here. I mean, it's tough to say."
The German admitted that even at his best he had bad days, meaning that he wasn't too worried about losing a few matches on his comeback trail. What mattered to the World No. 16 was that his current level was up to the mark, enough that he could be content with how he was feeling on the court.
"Even when I was at my best, I had matches where I was playing 10 times worse than I'm playing now. I mean, I'm not sure how I should answer that question because right now I am happy with how I play," Alexander Zverev said.
"Right now I'm happy with how I feel on the court. That's the most important for me."
Alexander Zverev will face off against Andrey Rublev in the semifinals in Dubai
Following his win over Lorenzo Sonego, Alexander Zverev will take on defending champion Andrey Rublev in the semifinals of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships. Rublev had a straight-sets win of his own in the quarterfinals, downing Botic van de Zandschulp.
The duo have met five times on tour so far, with the German winning all five encounters. Their most recent meeting was at the 2021 Cincinnati Masters, where Zverev won in straight sets.