Alexander Zverev has admitted his ankle is troubling him again after battling past Alexander Bublik to reach the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals.
The two-time Grand Slam champion prevailed 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(1) against world number 22 Bublik in a pulsating last 16 clash in Shanghai on Tuesday.
World number two Zverev fought off four set points and recovered from a 3-6 deficit in the tiebreak to sneak through the first set.
After Bublik earned the only break of the second set en route to levelling the match, Zverev found himself in trouble when he lost serve again in the opening game of the final set.
The German broke straight back to love, though, and he dominated on serve thereafter before cruising through the decisive tiebreak.
Zverev was bothered by an ankle problem during his victories over Wu Yibing and Quentin Halys in Shanghai, and the 29-year-old looked to be struggling physically at times against Bublik.
In his on-court interview with Tennis TV, Zverev was asked about the physical issues he was dealing with.
“Yeah, my ankle was acting up, unfortunately, again, which, kind of, is also understandable,” said Zverev.
“I mean, I’ve played a lot of tennis, which is always a good sign. That means I’ve been playing well.
“But yeah, I’m starting to feel my body more and more. But happy to be through because it was a difficult match.
“He (Bublik) has been playing amazing tennis this week. The most important thing was that I won today.”
Zverev also discussed the confirmation that he will become the world No 1 for the first time later this year.
“Yeah, it’s very, very special. It’s different than winning tournaments – big tournaments and Grand Slams,” said the reigning French Open and US Open champion.
“It’s a different sort of feeling. I feel like, as the world No 1, you have a responsibility on your shoulders a little bit, as well.
“But I’m looking forward to that because I’m close to being 30 years old. It’s a special feeling for me to achieve that in my age. It’s definitely been a special couple of hours.”
Zverev will face world number nine Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals at the Masters 1000 tournament.
