It was an expected decision: it is now official. Still convalescing after an ankle injury contracted in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros against Rafael Nadal, the German Alexander Zverev, world No.2 in the ATP rankings, will not participate in the US Open (August 29-September 11 ). “Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from the US Open,” said the Twitter account of the organizers of the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the season. Unhappy finalist at Flushing-Meadows against the Austrian Dominic Thiem in 2020 then semi-finalist last year, Zverev was injured in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros in early June against the Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
The 25-year-old German, crowned Olympic champion in Tokyo in August 2021, was forced to undergo surgery after tearing three lateral ligaments in his right ankle. He had already had to forfeit Wimbledon (June 27-July 10) when he remained on 27 consecutive participations in a Grand Slam tournament since 2015. Already deprived of the Australian Open in January, the Serbian Novak Djokovic, current world No.6 and finalist last year at the US Open, is not sure of being able to play in the New York tournament due to his non-vaccination against Covid.