The tennis world has seen many freaks – but never one like this!
Alexander Zverev (24) had just played his way into the hearts of the fans with his great year 2021 (Olympic victory and triumph at the ATP Finals) – he is again causing an incomprehensible scandal.
At the tournament in Acapulco/Mexico, Zverev loses in the first round doubles with buddy Marcelo Melo (38/Brazil) only in the round of 16 against Glasspool/Heliövaara (Great Britain/Finland) 2: 6, 6: 4, 6:10 – and then completely on his nerves .
THE ZVEREV SHAME!
► The freak out
After the match ball, there is the usual handshake with the opponents on the net, but then Zverev suddenly turns completely free.
The man from Hamburg attacks referee Alessandro Germani (Italy) and hits the referee’s chair three times with full force. Just inches from Germani’s foot, who flinches.
Zverev sits down for a moment, but can’t calm down at all. He jumps up again and hits the chair again, from which Germani is now fleeing.
Zverev yells at him in English: “How damn bad!”
► The reason
With a score of 6:8 in the decisive match tiebreak (goes to 10), a return from Glasspool lands in the area of the line. Melo and Zverev assume that the ball is out. But the linesman immediately indicates: good! The referee follows the decision. 6:9 instead of 7:8 – and thus match points for Glasspool/Heliövaara.
Bitter for Zverev and Melo: There is no video evidence (“Hawk Eye”) because the game is played on an adjacent pitch.
Immediately after the decision, Zverev ticked off for the first time!
Photo: SKY
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He keeps pointing off the line and yells at the referee: “Look where the ball bounces! It’s 8-6 in the tie-break… for God’s sake! It’s your line, it’s your damn line! You bloody idiot!”
Zverev received a warning for his outburst, but still followed up and shouted: “F *** off!” A point later, the match was lost – and Zverev’s racket attack on the referee’s chair followed.
► The witness
Zverev’s friend Sophia Thomalla (32) has to watch the scandal helplessly in the stands. She traveled to Mexico for the tournament and posted a photo of the record single on Instagram the day before, in which Zverev only converted the match point at 4.55 a.m. local time.
► The consequences
The ATP threw Zverev out of the tournament! In addition, he could face a hefty fine. A suspension for the upcoming tournaments is also possible.
For comparison: The Czech Karolina Pliskova (29) hit a hole in the referee’s chair in 2018 after a defeat in Rome and got away with a fine.
The fact is: his freak out is a huge setback in the fight for No. 1. Because he won in Acapulco in 2021, he is now losing valuable points.
