Alexander Zverev says he is "happy to be back competing" after scoring a win in his first appearance since the 2022 French Open

Alexander Zverev marked his return to tennis with a win over Dominic Thiem in the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. With matches being played in the best-of-three tie-breaks format, Zverev beat Thiem 10-8, 10-7.

This was the German's first match since his semifinal clash against Rafael Nadal at this year's French Open, where he retired midway through due to injury. The 25-year-old suffered extensive damage to his ankle ligaments after a slip during his match against the Spaniard.

While he was expected to represent Germany in the Davis Cup, he had to pull out after suffering a setback in his recovery.

The 2020 US Open finalist took to Instagram after beating Dominic Thiem, expressing his delight at making a return to tennis. He also added that he was glad to have shared the moment with the Austrian.

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"Happy to be back competing!😊And it’s really nice to share the court with you again @domithiem 🤝🏽🎾 Back on court soon," wrote the German.

The quarterfinal clashes are now set for the Diriyah Tennis Cup, with Alexander Zverev drawn to face Daniil Medvedev next. Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka will lock horns against Andrey Rublev, while Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas will cross swords with Hubert Hurkacz and Cameron Norrie, respectively.

"I've missed the tennis tour, the tournaments, I've missed interviews, I've really missed everything" - Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev [in black] in crutches after retiring midway against Nadal at the 2022 French Open

Alexander Zverev spent several months on the sidelines due to his horrific ankle injury. Speaking to Eurosport before his victory over Dominic Thiem on Thursday, Zverev admitted that he struggled during his time away from tennis because he missed every element of the sport.

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"I've missed all this for the last seven months. It was not an easy time for me. I've missed the tennis tour, the tournaments. I've missed interviews, I've really missed everything. I'm just happy to be back on the court and with the best players in the world here. Just to be back in this atmosphere, this air. I'm happy to be back on the pitch. Hopefully, things will start going right for me here again," he said.

The 25-year-old explained that his injury taught him the value of patience and humility, for which he stated he was grateful.

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"The injury taught me to be more patient and to appreciate the little things. When I walked for the first time, I was happy like a little kid. When I was able to walk for the first time, it felt like I had won the biggest tournament in the world. Things you could do all your life were suddenly special to you. That's the huge difference between after the injury and before the injury," the German added.

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