Alexander Zverev wants to come back and win Grand Slams says Mischa

Alexander Zverev injured

Mischa Zverev, older brother to World No 3 Alexander Zverev, has revealed that there is no timeline for return for his wounded sibling.

The former World No 25 said that ‘Sascha’ would be taking his recovery one day at a time.

Mischa has been a consistent presence in his brother’s career, both as a doubles partner and behind the scenes.

Alexander Zverev underwent surgery this week after a fall in the French Open semi-final.

Speaking on the Eurosport Germany podcast “Das Gelbe vom Ball”, Mischa said that his brother wanted to emulate the returns from injury of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“We don’t want to plan now because when you say it’s going to be a month or two, you count every day and wonder if you’re going to make it or not,” Mischa Zverev said.

“You then have such a feeling of disappointment when you don’t make it.

“When we say, ‘Okay, this will take five or six months,’ you work towards it.

“That’s very, very far away.

“That’s why we said we’re not thinking about days, weeks or whatever.

“We just look at how the foot and the leg are doing, how Sascha feels physically.

“And then, of course, his play has to be right, because Sascha definitely doesn’t want to come back and not play well.

“Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer are the best examples.

“They come back and win Grand Slam tournaments – and that’s what Sascha wants to do.

“That means he will do everything to come back at one hundred percent and to be as strong as ever before.”

The elder of the Zverev brothers says his role has always been to bring light and positivity to his hyper-focused younger sibling.

He believes his brother will come back an even greater force in tennis.

“I’m the positive one with the smile on my face, always saying: ‘Okay, how do we plan our training? How many push-ups do we do on the first, second, third day? How can we train the gluteus maximus?’

“I tend to plan ahead.

“What can we do now, how can we use the time well? Sascha may come back even more confident. That’s my thought, my belief. I know him quite well and I think that’s what he will do and prove to all of us that he can do it.”

Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev
Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev

Mischa believes his brother had Nadal in a tricky spot in their semi-final, which looked to be headed for a second straight tiebreak set when Zverev’s fall brought a halt to what could have been an all-time classic.

“At 2-1 in the second set, Rafa sat down, stared at his racket and didn’t move,” Mischa added

“He was breathing heavily and deeply, which he never does.

“He has his routines, especially when he sits down on the bench. ‘

“He immediately opens a bottle, takes the towel.

“For me, it’s a very big sign that he’s tired and not in top shape and that you can beat him today – no matter if it’s in three, four or five sets.

“Rafa looked very tired after one and a half, two hours. That hardly ever happens.”

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