Mats Wilander exclusive: penalty for Alexander Zverev after freaking out in Acapulco was too mild

Mats Wilander exclusive: penalty for Alexander Zverev after freaking out in Acapulco was too mild

A longer suspension for Alexander Zverev would have been appropriate after the Acapulco incidents. At least that is the point of view of the seven-time Grand Slam tournament winner Mats Wilander.

“If a player breaks his racquet on the umpire’s chair and is literally inches from hitting the umpire’s leg, he shouldn’t be allowed on a tennis court until he’s gone through some sort of rehabilitation process,” the Swede told the exclusive -Interview with Eurosport.

In fact, Zverev’s freak out after the defeat in the double round of 16 caused horror in the scene, especially since he also insulted referee Alessandro Germani with wild insults. The man from Hamburg later apologized for his misconduct, but the third in the world rankings had to be “punished accordingly,” demands Wilander. The $40,000 fine is not enough.

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After all, Zverev can be credited with one thing. “The fact that he was so emotionally distressed at the end of the double defeat shows that it is important to him, but you have to show that in a different way,” says Wilander. After a scandal like that in Acapulco, a tougher punishment is needed.

Wilander: A suspension of three or six months would be appropriate

“You sanction someone who behaves like this with a three-month or six-month ban,” emphasizes the 57-year-old. “In a case like that, you don’t allow him to play the most important tournaments on the calendar.” These important competitions are “the Grand Slams, the Masters events and the Davis Cup”.

The Zverev scandal in the video: that made him freak out

The fact is: Zverev will open for the DTB selection in Rio de Janeiro on March 4th and 5th. It is against Brazil to qualify for the group stage in September. “It’s probably good for him that he can now play for his country and his teammates and not just for himself, but it’s not a good sign for professional tennis,” complained Wilander.

It’s time to react. “Maybe you should found some kind of professional association in tennis that makes all these decisions. I’m thinking of a combination of ATP, ITF, WTA and Olympic Committee,” suggests the former number one in the world.

Wilander on chopped up racquets: “Hate this behavior”

Such an association would also be the right instrument to take action against another bad habit that pisses Wilander off: destroying rackets during a game, which has become very fashionable.

“I don’t like it when tennis rackets are destroyed, even if that’s becoming more and more accepted in the professional circuit. I hate this behavior because there are tennis players in the world who can’t afford a second racket,” said the ex-champion. Even more important: “We mustn’t fool the children that this is how we handle the material,” Wilander clarifies.

In fact, unsportsmanlike behavior has recently increased, at least among men. In addition to the Zverev scandal, Denis Shapovalov also caused a stir after he denounced chair umpire Carlos Bernardes as “corrupt” at the Australian Open during the quarterfinals against Rafael Nadal.

Medvedev and Shapovalov verbally attack referees

A lap later it was Daniil Medvedev who made a massive mistake in tone and choice of words. “Are you stupid, are you crazy?!” Barked the US Open champion referee Jaume Campistol. The punishment? Around 10,750 euros. A manageable sum given the prize money of around 1.4 million euros that Medvedev received for his entry into the final.

So it’s quite possible that the penalties in tennis – as requested by Wilander – will soon be sharper.

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