Professional men's tennis tour. - Tennis player Zverev pulls out of Stuttgart tournament.
Alexander Zverev, Germany's top tennis player, has dropped out of the Stuttgart tournament this week as anticipated. The organizers disclosed this information two days following Zverev's lost French Open final against Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz.
Explaining his decision, Zverev, who is ranked fourth in the world, claimed, "I've played a lot of tennis in the recent weeks and made it to the final in Paris, where I played five tough sets. I feel that my body is not prepared to transition from clay to grass right now."
Scheduled for the top spot at the Weissenhof, Zverev was set to start in the quarterfinals on Thursday. But after his defeat to Alcaraz in the Paris final, it became clear on Sunday that Zverev would not participate in the event in Baden-Württemberg's capital. "The chances of me playing in Stuttgart are as likely as me leaving and winning the final," he had remarked earlier.
In the previous year, the German ace called off his Stuttgart participation at the last moment, having injured his thigh during the Roland Garros semis.
"Certainly Relatable"
The organizers are disappointed by Zverev's withdrawal. They consider it "certainly relatable" according to tournament director Edwin Weindorfer. "We put in a tremendous amount of effort in the last two days to encourage him to follow through with his initial plans of playing on Thursday," he said. The director added, "We believe that we'll welcome Alexander Zverev back at the Stuttgart court in line with our long-term agreement next year."
In the upcoming week, Zverev will commence his preparations for the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament (July 1-14) in Westphalia. The organizers reaffirmed his arrival on Tuesday. In Stuttgart, veteran French player Richard Gasquet will take Zverev's spot in the main draw.
