Alexander Zverev speaks out on injury woes as he backs Dominic Thiem to challenge Rafa Nadal

Alexander Zverev suffered a disappointing end after his first run to a Grand Slam quarter-final as he crashed out to Dominic Thiem in straight sets.

The German second seed was seen clutching his hamstring throughout Tuesdays match and ultimately his body broke down, having played three consecutive five set matches in previous rounds.

With a fast turnaround for the grass-court season, there are fears over whether Zverev will be able to fully recover to be a contender at Wimbledon and he insists hes unsure of just how big the problem is.

When asked about the extent of the injury, he replied: I dont know. Its all very fresh.

Im going to take an MRI now after Im done here. But, you know, most of the time, with muscle injuries or muscle pulls, you can only see something on an MRI if you take it two or three days after.

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Im going to go back home and, you know, definitely not do anything and see what it is.

When asked if he considered pulling out, he added: I thought about it.

I definitely thought about it, but, you know, I didnt want to pull out for the first time of my career in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

So, you know, I knew Im not going to win the match. There was no way for me. I mean, I could barely move. I couldnt serve. I couldnt really do anything.

But I still wanted to finish the match and, you know, kind of give the credit to Dominic. He deserves to be in the semifinals. You know, end on a loss and not on a retirement.

Thiem – who will go on to face either Novak Djokovic or Marco Cecchinato in the semi-finals – admitted it was a tough match to negotiate, despite Zverevs injury woes.

Well, its never easy if your opponent obviously is not 100%, he said.

But hes one of the fittest guys on tour, and even for him its maybe even a little bit too tough to play three five-setters in the first rounds of a slam.

So I expected somehow that hes a little bit tired, but still Im happy how I finished the game. I let him run. I was doing what I had to do, and so Im satisfied.

Zverev, meanwhile, has tipped Thiem to go on and reach the final and insists he could even edge out Rafael Nadal to win the tournament.

I think he can definitely go to the final, he said. Its going to be between Rafa and him.

I think hes playing very heavy. I think hes not missing much. I think hes improved his serve a lot.

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So hes definitely playing great tennis. You know, I think one of the three best players on the clay court in the last few years, and right now especially.

So I wish him all the best. And, you know, by the end of the week, well see how he does.

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