"Will we fall in love again?" - Alexander Zverev announces his clay return with an upbeat post ten months after freak injury at French Open

Alexander Zverev will soon commence his 2023 clay court campaign and has shared an exciting update about the same. This will mark Zverev's competitive return to the surface, ten months after sustaining a freak injury at the French Open.

At the Parisian Grand Slam in 2022, Zverev appeared invincible as he made the final four with a victory over the in-form Carlos Alcaraz. The German tennis player then faced the toughest test on Parisian Clay in the semifinals – Rafael Nadal.

Nevertheless, Alexander Zverev played three hours (almost two sets) of highly convincing tennis before rolling his right ankle and tearing three ligaments. The devastating injury, which required surgery, pushed the 25-year-old to the sidelines for six months.

Despite being a little wary, the 2020 US Open runner-up has now resumed his practice sessions on clay. After his early exit from the Miami Open, the German returned to Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he resides.

He recently shared a glimpse of his practice at the Monte Carlo Country Club with his fans and followers on Instagram. Zverev also posed a wishful question with the hope of starting where he left off on the surface on which he has witnessed the highest win rate.

“Dear clay, will we fall in love again?” he asked.

Alexander Zverev has a win percentage of 68.4% on clay courts. The former World No. 2 has lifted six out of his 19 titles on the surface, with three of his five Masters 1000 titles coming on the clay courts of Rome and Madrid.

The German has also earned the most consistent results at a Grand Slam at the French Open, having made the quarterfinals in 2018 and 2019, followed by back-to-back semifinals in 2021 and 2022.

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Alexander Zverev gears up for the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters

Alexander Zverev was the semifinalist at the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters

Alexander Zverev has unsurprisingly witnessed a wavering start to his 2023 season. The 25-year-old, who has been trying to regain his footing since returning from injury, has accumulated eight wins against nine losses thus far.

While Zverev staged a couple of commendable appearances with a run to the semifinals in Dubai and a fourth-round exit in Indian Wells, he faced an early defeat at the on-going Miami Open, losing to Japan’s Taro Daniel in the Round of 64. Nonetheless, the athlete is now shifting his focus to the clay season, starting with the Monte Carlo Masters, which will be held between April 8-16.

The World No. 15 will hope to make the best possible form recovery ahead of the clay season, as he will be required to defend over 2000 ranking points, owing to his last year’s victories, which include the semifinals of the Rome Masters, the Monte-Carlo Masters, as well as the French Open, and the final of the Masters event in Madrid.