Zverev shared that his participation in the current Australian Open marks the initial occasion in a year where he has competed without experiencing discomfort.
The athlete, aged 28, suffered a ligament tear in his ankle during his 2022 French Open semi-final match versus Rafael Nadal – a severe injury that endangered his professional trajectory and sidelined him for half a year.
“Over the past ten days, I’ve experienced a sense of well-being and absence of pain, a sensation I haven’t known for an extended period, perhaps a full year,” Zverev commented following his victory against Tien.
“I derive satisfaction from being on the court since I am performing without pain and at a high standard,” he added.
In recent years, Zverev has refined his serving technique, introducing greater steadiness after his performance was previously hindered by numerous double faults.
During 2020, a year in which he advanced to the semi-finals in Melbourne and the championship match at the US Open, his average stood at 5.9 double faults per contest.
He has progressively lowered that statistic annually ever since, reaching an average of 1.9 in 2025.
Zverev is slated to compete in the semi-finals against either the top-ranked player globally, Carlos Alcaraz, or the sixth seed, Alex de Minaur, who is the sole remaining Australian player in the singles competition.
