Alexander Zverev is confident of claiming a second Olympic gold medal at the Paris games despite picking up an injury at Wimbledon earlier this month. 

Zverev slipped during his third-round triumph against Cameron Norrie in SW19, bowing out of the competition in a five-set to Taylor Fritz in the following round. 

The world number four has since competed in the Hamburg Open, a title he won a year ago, but fell at the final hurdle to Arthur Fils in a decisive final set tie-break. 

Zverev, who became the first German to win an Olympic gold medal in singles since Steffi Graf did so in 1988, beat Karen Khachanov in the final in Tokyo four years ago.

The German described his injury as a bone edema and torn capsule and said that it did not require surgery ahead of the games. 

"To be honest, you know, the risk will stay for the next two, three, four weeks maybe because that's how long the bone heals, and that's what everybody told me," Zverev said.

"But, at the end of the day I also knew that I don't want to rest for four weeks because, now we're playing on the surface where I don't see that big of a risk of doing the same motion again and doing the same movement again."

The tennis will take place at Roland Garros, a venue well-known to Zverev who reached the French Open final earlier this year, losing out on a first grand slam title to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. 

Zverev is also on the shortlist of German athletes who could be flagbearer for the nation during Friday's opening ceremony.

"If someone told me that I should walk in as a flag bearer, it would mean even more to me, to be honest (than winning the Olympics)," Zverev was quoted by SpilXperten.

"Leading an entire nation and so many top German athletes into the Olympics is simply the greatest honour an athlete can receive.

"And of course, the gold medal I won at the last Olympics is one of the highest achievements you can have in sports and for me personally the greatest success in my career."

Arthur Fils came through a decisive tie-break to beat home favourite Alexander Zverev in the Hamburg Open final, securing his second ATP-level title.

The 20-year-old triumphed 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1) in a three-and-a-half-hour marathon, saving a remarkable 21 of 22 break points, including five in the final set, to follow up his 2023 triumph in Lyon.

Fils raced into a 3-0 lead in the opener before having to fend off four break points in the fifth game as he took the lead, but defending champion Zverev roared back in the second set.

Zverev got the breakthrough six games into a back-and-forth second as the big-serving German forced a decider.

Having saved break points at 4-4 and 5-5 in the third, Fils came on strong in the tie-break, recording the biggest win of his career and his fourth versus a top-10 opponent.

Data Debrief: Fils' rise continues as Zverev falls short

Fils is just the second player aged under 21 to triumph at the Hamburg Open, after Roger Federer in 2002 and Lorenzo Musetti in 2022. 

Zverev, meanwhile, missed the chance to become the fifth man to defend the Hamburg title in the Open Era, after Eddie Dibbs (1973-74), Andre Medvedev (1994-95), Federer (2004-05) and Nikoloz Basilashvili (2018-19).

Alexander Zverev will have a chance to defend his Hamburg Open title against Arthur Fils after overcoming Pedro Martinez in the last four on Saturday.

Zverev needed one hour and 25 minutes on court to beat Martinez 6-2 6-4, ending a run that saw the Spaniard eliminate seeds Matteo Arnaldi and Francisco Cerundolo.

The home favourite earned his first break in the third service game and followed up with another in the seventh, also winning 92% of his first-serve points in the opener as Martinez failed to apply any sustained pressure.  

Zverev broke again at the start of the second set before producing crucial holds in the second and seventh games, reaching his third straight clay-court final after also going all the way at the Masters 1000 in Rome and the French Open.

He will face Fils in the showpiece match after the Frenchman overcame Sebastian Baez by a 6-2 6-2 scoreline in just 67 minutes, reaching his first ATP 500 final.

Data Debrief: Zverev eyes Hamburg history

Zverev became just the second German to win the Hamburg title last year after Michael Stich in 1993, and he could now become the first to defend the trophy with Stich falling to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the 1994 semi-finals.

Alexander Zverev booked his place in the Hamburg Open semi-finals with a straight-sets victory over Zhizhen Zhang.

The top seed - and reigning champion - kept his title defence very much on track, prevailing 6-4 6-3 after 66 minutes on Center Court.

Zverev dominated on serve during the opening set, dropping just three points, while a break in game five paved the way for him to move halfway towards victory.

The home favourite made another statement of intent when he broke in the opening game of the second set.

Another break followed at 5-3 to secure victory and send the Italian Open champion through to his seventh ATP semi-final of the season - and third on clay, having also reached the French Open final.

There, he will play Pedro Martinez after the Spaniard beat fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.

Data Debrief: Statement of intent from Zverev

The German demonstrated his desire to maintain his hold on the trophy he won in front of his home crowd last season, and become only the third player this century to successfully defend the crown after Roger Federer and Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Indeed, Zverev hit 10 aces and won 29 of 33 points on first serve (88%), while converting three of his four break-point opportunities.

Alexander Zverev cruised into the second round of the Hamburg Open with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Jesper de Jong.

The top seed took one step closer to defending his title with a 6-2 6-2 victory on Wednesday.

De Jong took the opening game, but Zverev dominated after that, winning the next five in a row, before holding off the Dutchman's late fightback to take the first set.

The second was a carbon copy of the first, as De Jong was broken twice and given no way back in as Zverev closed out the match to set up a meeting with Hugo Gaston in the next round. 

Data Debrief: Defending champion starts strong

After clinching the title on home soil last year, Zverev was always going to come out fighting in his defence.

He hit 29 winners and twice went on five-game winning runs to take the match away from De Jong before he could get any real foothold. 

Taylor Fritz fought from behind to win a five-set thriller against Alexander Zverev on Centre Court, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second time.

Fritz, who previously made the last eight in 2022, was on the brink of defeat as a typical big-serving display from Zverev saw him take the first two sets.  

However, the match turned on a fourth-set tie-break dominated by the American, Zverev losing his way as he missed out on a first quarter-final appearance at SW19, losing 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

The Centre Court crowd had to remain patient for a break in the opening set with both players excellent with ball in hand, Zverev winning 83% of his first-serve points to Fritz's 81%. A powerful backhand ensured it was Zverev who got the breakthrough nine games in.

Neither player could force a break point in a slog of a second set, which Zverev took in a tie-break, roaring to the crowd as Fritz sliced a backhand wide on set point. 

But Fritz refused to go away, drawing Zverev to the net far more regularly and finally breaking the German's serve at the 15th attempt. 

It was a similar story in the fourth as both players served well, but Fritz stepped up in the tie-break, Zverev looking dejected as he fell 6-1 down before slicing a backhand long on set point.  

The momentum was with Fritz from there as he secured a huge break four games into the decider, holding his nerve from there to tee up a meeting with first-time grand slam quarter-finalist Lorenzo Musetti.

Earlier on Monday, Alex de Minaur sealed his place in the last eight – where he will face Holger Rune or Novak Djokovic – with a 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over Arthur Fils.

Ninth seed De Minaur squandered a 4-2 lead in the third set but recovered to take the match in four, his flat groundstrokes proving too much for spirited 20-year-old Fils.

The Australian suffered a scare as he appeared to hurt his ankle on match point, but he played down fears over his condition after the match. 

"I will be alright, I will find a way," he said. "I made it a lot harder than I should have but I'm happy to get through."

Data Debrief: Rare upset for Fritz 

Fritz showed great character to hold firm in the face of Zverev's big-serving display before launching a rousing comeback in front of a delighted Centre Court crowd.

He previously held a 1-13 record against top-10 opponents at grand slams, but he has now become the first American to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in a single year since Andy Roddick in 2009.

Pep Guardiola enjoyed the Centre Court action at Wimbledon as Alexander Zverev sought an opportunity to entice the Manchester City manager to Bayern Munich.

Premier League title-winning coach Guardiola turned his attention away from football on Saturday, watching on as Zverev overcame Cameron Norrie in straight sets.

The Man City boss was joined by Arsenal Women and England captain Leah Williamson, as well as cricketing stars Jos Buttler and Joe Root in a star-studded lineup.

Yet Zverev was most interested in pointing out former Bayern boss Guardiola as the fourth seed urged the Spaniard back to Bavaria.

"For me and for all tennis players it's an honour to play on this beautiful Centre Court and in front of the Royal Box, we had so many sporting legends today," Zverev said.

"For me, Pep Guardiola, when I saw Pep I got so nervous for a few games. Thanks a lot for coming, it's a privilege to play.

"Last thing – Bayern Munich needs a coach. If you're tired of football you can coach me on a tennis court any time."

Zverev was not the only one to notice the football, though, as Novak Djokovic acknowledged the Centre Court crowd were following England's Euro 2024 penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland.

Having lost the first set 6-4, seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic was leading 4-1 in the second when fans burst into applause, leaving both players briefly puzzled.

Yet the pair soon realised the crowd were celebrating England's quarter-final win over Switzerland, before Djokovic mimicked a penalty effort towards Alexei Popyrin.

"I assumed it was a penalty shoot-out between England and Switzerland," Djokovic explained after his 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) win.

"It felt like for a set and a half the crowd really wanted to understand what the score was in the football match. Did England win in the end? That's why you guys stayed. Congrats to England.

"I tried to shoot a penalty, I'm left-footed, but Alexei defended it well!"

Hubert Hurkacz was the highest-profile casualty on day four of the Wimbledon men's singles, with the seventh seed forced to retire injured during his clash with Arthur Fils.

The Pole beat Roger Federer on the way to reaching the semi-finals in 2021, while he was runner-up to new world number one Jannik Sinner in Halle last month.

However, when trailing by two sets to one against his French opponent, Hurkacz sustained a knee injury during the tie-break in the fourth.

Despite valiantly attempting to battle on, he aggravated the problem further soon after when diving for a return, and was subsequently unable to continue with Fils advancing to round three.

There, he will play Alex de Minaur after the ninth seed enjoyed a straight-sets victory over Jaume Munar.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev also prevailed in three sets as he continued his rich vein of form. The Italian Open champion, who was also runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland-Garros, was a commanding 6-1 6-2 6-4 winner over Marcos Giron. 

Next up for him is Cameron Norrie after the 2022 semi-finalist ousted compatriot Jack Draper in a battle of the Brits on No.1 Court.

Eastbourne champion Taylor Fritz overcame Arthur Rinderknech in four sets, as did 15th seed Holger Rune against Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov recovered from two sets down to beat Juncheng Shang in a decider. The 2014 semi-finalist will now play Gael Monfils, who completed a straight-sets victory over fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka.

Although, there was no joy for 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two-time major finalist was beaten in four sets by world number 87 Emil Ruusuvuori.

Andrey Rublev suffered a shock early exit at Wimbledon on Tuesday as numerous other seeds progressed through to the second round.

Rublev, a 17-time ATP Tour champion, reached the quarter-finals at this tournament last year but failed to make it past his opener this time after Argentine Francisco Comesana upset the sixth seed.

Comesana triumphed 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-5) on No.2 Court, where play was disrupted by heavy downpour, as Rublev became the highest-ranked male player to fall so far at the All England Club.

Unlike Rublev, fourth seed Alexander Zverev coasted past Roberto Carballes Baenai in straight sets on No. 1 Court.

"I want to compete, I want to do well here at Wimbledon. It's the most historic tennis tournament that we have," Zverev said after reaching the second round for the seventh time in eight attempts at this tournament.

"I've struggled over the years here on these beautiful courts, unfortunately, but I feel different this year."

Hubert Hurcakz progressed through his first challenge, though the seventh seed conceded the first set before defeating Radu Albot 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-4, smashing 24 aces in the process.

Alex de Minaur headed into this year's edition as the ninth favourite and his opening performance befitted that status, overcoming fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4).

Stefanos Tsitsipas fought off Taro Daniel with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-5 in just under two-and-a-half hours as the 11th seed aims to go further than his personal-best fourth-round appearances in 2018 and five years later.

It was not so straightforward for British number one Jack Draper, who secured a hard-fought 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over Elias Ymer under the lights on Centre Court.

Draper is in fine form, having won the Stuttgart Open in June and defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the Queen's Club Championship, and will next meet fellow British player Cameron Norrie.

World number 42 Norrie had little trouble in his first-round test, dispatching Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets on No.3 Court.

Data Debrief: Comesana on cloud nine as Zverev powers through

Comesana may have expected to compete with Rublev in his first-round encounter, but this was only his second appearance on grass courts of his career at any level, professional or junior.

The world number 122 managed to battle to a hard-fought triumph after a clinical showing, converting four of five break points he earned.

Zverev had no such difficulty in progressing to the second round, powering 18 aces at an event he has never reached the quarter-finals in.

The German is now 12-2 for the year in major action, having reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and the showpiece at the French Open before defeat to Alcaraz.

Jannik Sinner will face Hubert Hurkacz in his first ATP Tour-level grass final after overcoming Zhang Zhizhen 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in the last four at the Halle Open.

The world number one entered Saturday's clash with Zhang, ranked 42nd in the world, on a 35-match winning streak against players outside the ATP's top 20.

There was to be no upset in North Rhine-Westphalia, though Zhang pushed him close in a match that featured just one break – Sinner doing the honours in the ninth game of the opening set.

Zhang failed to convert the lone break point generated in the second set as both players served confidently, the Chinese number one winning 79% of first-serve points to Sinner's 75%.

However, the Italian's quality shone through in the tie-break, the Australian Open champion converting his third match point to advance. 

Hurkacz will be his final opponent after he pulled off an upset of Zverev earlier on Saturday, the fifth-seeded Pole producing a big-serving display in a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 win.

Sinner and Hurkacz played doubles together earlier this week, saving two match points in a thrilling win over Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow before going out to French duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul the following day.

Data Debrief: Sinner matches Federer and Medvedev

Sinner will have a chance to capture his first title on grass on Sunday, which would represent the best possible preparation for a tilt at Wimbledon.

He is just the third player to reach the Halle Open final while top of the world rankings, after Roger Federer (in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2018) and Daniil Medvedev (2022).

Alexander Zverev battled past Arthur Fils despite losing the first set to book a place in the Halle Open semi-finals.

The German, chasing his first-ever grass-court title, needed two and a half hours to get his 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 victory.

Neither player managed a break in the opening set, matching each other evenly before Fils finally got the edge in the tie-break to take the lead.

Zverev soon raised his level though, and during a run of eight consecutive points, broke the Frenchman to love at 3-2 on his way to forcing a decider.

Despite another bright start to the set by Fils, he failed to get a single break, with Zverev rallying to set up a meeting with Hubert Hurkacz in the next round.

Data Debrief: Zverev edges ever-closer to grass title

Zverev is 37-10 for the season, and is the first person since Roger Federer (2012-19) to reach back-to-back semi-finals at the Halle Open.

A two-time finalist at the tournament, the German is hoping to add two more wins to his 18-7 record in Germany to finally get his hands on the trophy.

Daniil Medvedev crashed out of the Halle Open in the second round on Wednesday, succumbing to a 6-3 2-6 7-6 (7-5) defeat to Chinese number one Zhang Zhizhen.

Medvedev looked to be on course for the third round at 5-3 up in the decisive tie-break, but Zhang won four successive points to reach the last eight.

Zhang had earlier dropped six straight games from 2-2 in the second set, but he responded to losing an early break in the decider with one of his own to restore parity, then came on strong in the tie-break.

He will face Christopher Eubanks in the next round after the American eliminated defending champion Alexander Bublik with a 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 victory.

Meanwhile, second seed Alexander Zverev avoided an upset as he saw off a spirited performance from Lorenzo Sonego, winning 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to tee up a meeting with Arthur Fils.

Data Debrief: Zhang breaks new ground

Zhang's victory saw him become the first Chinese player to reach the Halle Open quarter-finals, also representing his second top-five victory after he beat Casper Ruud at last year's US Open.

Alexander Zverev avoided a first-round upset at the Halle Open after battling past fellow German Oscar Otte on Tuesday.

The second seed managed to triumph in his first match since the French Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, eventually winning 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4.

Zverev has twice reached the show-piece at this event, in 2016 and 2017, though acknowledged challenges remain with adapting from the clay-court surfaces at Roland-Garros.

"A week ago, I was playing on clay still basically," Zverev said in his on-court interview. "He made it very tough for me, no rhythm at all.

"That's how grass-court tennis is sometimes and I'm just happy with the win.

"He did make it extremely difficult for me, so credit to him. I'm obviously happy that I won and hopefully, it's going to be a level above in the next match."

The world number four is now 35-10 for the season and will look to extend that record when he meets Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the next round.

Zverev has won all three head-to-head meetings with Sonego, and will fancy his chances if he delivers another heavy-hitting performance next time out.

The 27-year-old smashed 54 winners, compared to his 40 unforced errors, to triumph in just over two hours under the OWL Arena roof.

Stefanos Tsitsipas also began his grass season with victory, defeating home hopeful Henri Squire 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-2).

The Greek sixth seed will face Luciano Darderi or Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.

Rafael Nadal will partner Carlos Alcaraz in the men's doubles at the Paris Olympics, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation has confirmed.

The Spanish duo - who will also participate in the singles competition - will team up for the tournament at Roland-Garros, which begins on July 27.

Both players have fond memories of the venue with Nadal a record 14-time French Open champion, while Alcaraz landed his maiden clay-court major crown last weekend.

Nadal is expected to call time on his glittering career this year.

A gold medallist in 2008 (singles) and 2016 (doubles), the 22-time major winner is unlikely to appear at Wimbledon and will instead focus on the Olympics where, if fit, he had hoped to partner Alcaraz.

Spain's national team coach confirmed he had got his wish, saying: "One pair, which I think everyone knows and was hoping for, is Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. Rafa and Carlos will be playing together in Paris."

Alcaraz, who will make his debut at the Games, became the youngest player in the Open Era to win the singles title at three different grand slams when he triumphed over Alexander Zverev at Roland-Garros on Sunday.

Carlos Alcaraz revealed he plans to commemorate his French Open triumph with a tattoo of the Eiffel Tower on his left ankle.

The Spaniard claimed his first title at Roland-Garros - and third grand slam - after beating Alexander Zverev in a thrilling five-set final on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 21-year-old became the youngest player to win his first three majors on different surfaces - and the first to do so in his first three major finals.

It was a special win for the world number two, who grew up playing on clay courts in his native Spain and would rush from home school to watch the tournament on television.

Alcaraz also visited Roland-Garros as a 12-year-old in 2015, from which photos reappeared on social media after he became the eighth Spaniard to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires nine years later.

"It will be on the left ankle, the Eiffel Tower and today's date," he said of his proposed tattoo to permanently remind him of his victory. "I have to find time, but I will do it for sure.

"I have dreamed of being in this position since I started playing tennis, and I was five or six years old.

"Winning a Grand Slam is always special, but here at Roland-Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won here, to put my name on that list is unbelievable."