Olympic singles gold medalist Alexander Zverev beat his friend Dominic Thiem in the super tie-break 10-8 10-7 before losing to defending champion Danil Medvedev 0-6 4-6 in the inaugural day of the Diriyah Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Zverev was playing his match since his season-ending injury during his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros last June.
Zverev was confidence after his return to the court after a long absence.
“I am happy to have played two matches. I was happy to be able to compete at this level and play with Danil. Of course, the first set wasn’t great, but that was to be expected, but I was happy with the level and also how I was moving in the second set. It shows that I am on the right path. I know there is still a long way to go. My foot is healthy and I and I am fit to compete”, said Zverev.
Zverev teamed up with Thiem for the doubles match, where they lost against Matteo Berrettini and Andrey Rublev 3-6 6-7 (3-7). “It’s always fun to be sharing the court. It’s different being on a singles court. We have played a lot of singles matches, so it’s nice to play a doubles match for a change.
