Alexander Zverev had a shocking freak in Acapulca. The German apologized but his punishment should have been harsher. At least that’s what Rafael Nadal says.
Record major winner Rafael Nadal finds the penalty for Alexander Zverev after his Freak out at tennis tournament in Acapulco not hard enough “On the one hand, I don’t want Sascha to be punished because I like him and have a good relationship with him,” said the Spanish star player on the sidelines of the tennis tournament in Indian Wells on Thursday.
“On the other hand, as a fan of the sport, I would like to see a tougher punishment for this type of behavior, not just from him but in general because it protects the sport and the referees and everyone involved in the sport.”
Eight-week suspension on probation
At the tournament in Acapulco two weeks ago, 24-year-old Zverev hit his racket several times against the referee’s chair, on which the referee was still sitting, after a defeat in doubles, and insulted the man.
The men’s professional organization ATP had therefore punished Zverev with an eight-week suspension on probation. In addition, the number three in the world rankings was given an additional fine of $25,000 – also on probation. This means that Zverev is not allowed to commit another violation that leads to a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct until February 22, 2023 – one year after the incident.
In Mexico he was disqualified and had to pay a $40,000 fine. In addition, the Hamburger has to pay back the prize money of more than 30,000 dollars and lost the points for the world rankings. “That was probably the biggest mistake of my tennis career,” Zverev said on Wednesday after apologizing via social media message.
“It was definitely the worst moment of my life and career.” “But apologizing is probably not enough given the way I behaved. It was embarrassing for me, it’s still embarrassing when I’m walking around or in the locker room. It’s not a nice feeling.”
