Alexander Zverev admits that finishing 2022 with a triumph means the world to him after everything he had been through in 2022. Zverev, who tore several ligaments during his French Open semifinal match against Rafael Nadal, also sustained bone edema when he was preparing to return to tennis in September.
After missing the entire second half of the 2022 season, Zverev returned to action in early December at the Diriyah Tennis Cup. This past week, Zverev represented the Hawks team at the inaugural World Tennis Cup in Dubai and he was a big reason why the Hawks managed to win the title.
“I’m happy that I won something this year. It’s been a rough year for me, obviously I haven’t played in six and a half months, so to finish the year off like that is amazing for me and the whole team,” Zverev said, per The National.
Zverev lost in the final but the Hawks still won
In the first match of the World Tennis League final, Elena Rybakina of the Hawks defeated Kites’ Iga Swiatek 6-3 6-1. But the Kites stayed alive in the final after Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Zverev 6-4 6-3.
In the deciding match of the final, the Hawks sealed the title after Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Dominic Thiem defeated Sania Mirza and Holger Rune 7-6 (4) 6-3. In the end, the Hawks beat the Kites with a 37-25 score. For Zverev, it was a very positive week in Dubai.
In Dubai, Zverev appeared in a total of four matches and claimed three wins. In his first singles match at the World Tennis League, Zverev saw off Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4. Then, Zverev defeated Andreas Seppi 6-4 6-2 before losing to Auger-Aliassime.
Zverev also appeared in one doubles match as he and Rybakina defeated Auger-Aliassime and Mirza 7-5 3-6 10-5. After being out for five months, Zverev signed up to play at the Diriyah Tennis Cup and World Tennis League because he wanted to get real action ahead of the 2023 season. Zverev’s campaigns in Riyadh and Dubai went well as the German seems to be healthy and prepared for the new season.
