When his ankle twisted violently a year ago, Zverev had been living very hard for the master of the house for more than three hours and the two players had not even completed the second set (7-6 (10/8), 6-6 in favor of Nadal). That day, each of the two sets lasted the time of a football match.

Evacuated from Centre Court in a wheelchair, in tears, the German, then 25 years old, had briefly returned leaning on crutches to formalize his abandonment.

His injury — several torn ligaments — would keep him out of action for the rest of the 2022 season.

A year later, after "the most difficult year of (his) life", repeats Zverev, Roland-Garros is the scene of his rebirth at the highest level. And as a symbol, he played almost all his matches on the Central, except for his first round. Three even had the honors of the evening session.

Alexander Zverev on crutches accompanied by Rafa Nadal after his injury in the semifinals, on June 3, 2022 at Roland-Garros © Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP/Archives

"On One Leg" in Australia

"I love tennis, I don't play for money or fame but just for this sport, I love competition, I love playing tennis," he said during the Paris fortnight. Being deprived of it was very hard but I'm so happy to be back, to play big matches again, on this beautiful court."

"It's a tournament that I really ticked off in my calendar, I really wanted to do well here," he continued.

"Despite what happened last year, I still love this place, I still love this court," added "Sascha", who admitted to having put his feet there "nervous" in the second round.

But constantly brought back to his injury, Zverev insists: "I am extremely happy with the way I play and the way things are going, but the tournament is not over yet. I hope to have two more games ahead of me."

The road back to the top level has been long for the 26-year-old German.

"I couldn't play for seven months after my injury. The next three, four months, it was still painful. I couldn't move the way I wanted," he said.

Alexander Zverev serves against Tomas Etcheverry at Roland Garros on June 7, 2023 © JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP

Getting rid of the pain "took longer than expected. At the beginning of the season, in Australia, I was still playing on one leg. After, let's say until Indian Wells and Miami, I still hurt at times. I couldn't train normally," he continues. And afterwards, feeling confident again on your leg also takes time, to move as before, on the slides ..."

"It's in the past"

"But I've gotten to the point where I don't think so much about the injury, what happened," Zverev said. I'm just happy to be back where I was last year, and to have another chance. I hope I can take it."

"I talk more about the injury than I think about it. It's in the past now," he concludes.

The great German (1.98 m) is in any case living his best tournament since his return at the beginning of 2023.

Before Roland-Garros, he had at best lined up three wins in a row (semi-final in Dubai at the beginning of March). On the Parisian clay, he is already five before his semifinal against Ruud, his sixth Grand Slam.

Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros, June 7, 2023 © JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP

He won only one so far, at the 2020 US Open, before losing in the final to Dominic Thiem.

Ruud, a very average season before returning to the Porte d'Auteuil, will play his third, at 24 years old. The first two, both in 2022, smiled at him, at Roland-Garros already and at the US Open. Not the finals that followed, against Nadal and the one who would become world No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz.

© 2023 AFP