Alexander Zverev admits that ending 2022 with a win means a lot to him after everything that had happened in 2022. Zverev, who tore several ligaments during his French Open semifinal match against Rafael Nadal, also suffered bone edema when he 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. Last week, Zverev represented Team Hawks at the inaugural Tennis World Cup in Dubai and was one of the main reasons why the Hawks managed to win the title.
“I am happy to have won something this year. It’s been a tough year for me, obviously I haven’t played in six and a half months, so to end the year like this is amazing for me and the whole team,» Zverev said, according to 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 Iga Swiatek of the Kites 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 by a score of 37-25. For Zverev, it was a very positive week in Dubai.
In Dubai, Zverev appeared in a total of four matches and earned three wins. In his first singles match in the World Tennis League, Zverev defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4. Zverev then defeated Andreas Seppi 6-4 6-2 before losing to Auger-Aliassime.
Zverev also appeared in a doubles match as he and Rybakina defeated Auger-Aliassime and Mirza 7-5, 3-6, 10-5. After being away for five months, Zverev signed up to play in the Diriyah Tennis Cup and Tennis World League because he wanted some real action before the 2023 season. Zverev’s campaigns in Riyadh and Dubai went well, as the German seems to be healthy and ready for the new season.
