‘Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer are the best examples’ – Mischa Zverev says Alexander won’t rush injury return

Mischa Zverev said that his brother Alexander would look to emulate Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as he plans his return from the injury he suffered at the French Open.

Nadal was Zverev’s opponent in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros last week as he rolled his ankle, and had to leave the court in a wheelchair. Reports earlier this week suggested that a ligament injury could keep him out for two months, and he would miss Wimbledon as a result.

However Mischa Zverev told Eurosport’s podcast “Das Gelbe vom Ball” that they do not anticipate a precise recovery date because the aim is to have the 25-year-old ready to play his best tennis at a future Grand Slam.

“We don’t want to plan now because when you say it’s going to be a month or two, you count every day and wonder if you’re going to make it or not,” he said. “You then have such a feeling of disappointment when you don’t make it.

“When we say, ‘Okay, this will take five or six months,’ you work towards it. That’s very, very far away. That’s why we said we’re not thinking about days, weeks or whatever. We just look at how the foot and the leg are doing, how Sascha feels physically.

“And then, of course, his play has to be right, because Sascha definitely doesn’t want to come back and not play well. Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer are the best examples. They come back and win Grand Slam tournaments – and that’s what Sascha wants to do. That means he will do everything to come back at 100 percent and to be as strong as ever before.”

The elder brother then explained his role to play, saying: “I’m the positive one with the smile on my face, always saying: ‘Okay, how do we plan our training? How many push-ups do we do on the first, second, third day? How can we train the gluteus maximus?’ I tend to plan ahead.

“What can we do now, how can we use the time well? Sascha may come back even more confident. That’s my thought, my belief. I know him quite well and I think that’s what he will do and prove to all of us that he can do it.”