Alexander Zverev gives update on his ankle injury after playing his first match at the ATP Finals against Ben Shelton

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Alexander Zverev has come through his first match at the ATP Finals against Ben Shelton after recent struggles.

Zverev was struggling with an ankle injury at the Paris Masters, after also facing recent issues with a back problem.

Ankle injuries have been a real issue for the world number three in the past, and after Zverev recently set unwanted tennis history there were concerns for him ahead of the ATP Finals.

Zverev still took to the court at the ATP Finals, and he has now provided an injury update after playing Ben Shelton in Turin.

Alexander Zverev provides update on his ankle injury after beating Ben Shelton

Zverev was able to overcome hurdles to beat Shelton, 6-3 7-6(6), and extend his unbeaten record against the American to 5-0.

When speaking in his post-match press conference, Zverev was asked about his physical condition, to which he revealed that he was feeling much better.

However, Zverev also admitted that he was taking it match by match, revealing that he had spoken to a surgeon after losing to Jannik Sinner at the Paris Masters.

“I felt good today,” said Zverev. “Right now I can go one match at a time. I felt great in Vienna. I felt great in Paris until I played that long match against Daniil [Medvedev], then my ankle really swelled up. I couldn’t really move properly at all during the semis match.

“And to be honest, Jannik is somebody that exposes that 200%, right? If you can’t move against him, you have no chance.

“But right now I had a good time to recover. I saw my surgeon in Munich after Paris. For now today I felt great. I have two days off now. I’m sure they will be beneficial to me. Looking forward to the next couple of matches, which are going to be difficult, as well.”

Alexander Zverev suggests if he thinks experience helped him beat Ben Shelton

Zverev had to save three set points in his match against Shelton, fighting back to win the second set tie-break.

The 28-year-old was asked if he thinks experience played a factor in why he was able to beat Shelton, who is making his debut at the ATP Finals this year.

“No, I don’t,” responded Zverev. “I think his game style is like that. He makes sometimes unbelievable winners, and sometimes he makes these kind of mistakes. But that’s just the way he plays.

“He’s so aggressive that he takes this risk all the time. When I was his age, I was not playing this aggressive. I didn’t have these shots. I didn’t have this kind of serve. I didn’t have this kind of forehand. It’s just the game style that he has, I think. It’s more about that.

“But to be honest, at 6-3 I did two very good returns. Especially at 6-4 off a first serve. So I made him play. I feel like I deserve credit for that, as well. Again, I felt like I controlled the things well that I could control. That’s it.”

Zverev has made the perfect start to his bid for a third ATP Finals title, with his next match against either the aforementioned Sinner or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

However, the three-time Grand Slam finalist is likely to have some trepidation ahead of those matches, with Zverev losing his most recent encounter with both Sinner and Auger-Aliassime.