Acapulco (dpa) – With a freak out at the tennis tournament in Acapulco, Alexander Zverev not only destroyed his chances of defending his title, but also badly damaged his image, which had just been improved by winning the Olympics.
After an actually insignificant defeat in doubles, Zverev hit the referee’s chair with his tennis racket several times, on which the referee was still sitting. Once, the 24-year-old almost hit the referee’s foot, whom he had insulted loudly several times shortly before after a controversial decision.
The men’s organization ATP reacted immediately and excluded Zverev from the rest of the tournament because of “unsportsmanlike conduct”. Munich’s Peter Gojowczyk therefore advanced to the quarter-finals without a fight. Only a few hours after Zverev had played his way into the history books of tennis with his spectacular first round victory at 4:55 a.m., Zverev made an inglorious chapter.
The following morning, Zverev apologized via Instagram for his freak out. “It’s hard to put into words how much I regret my behavior during and after yesterday’s doubles,” he wrote. “I have privately apologized to the chair umpire because my outburst to him was wrong and unacceptable and I’m just disappointed in myself. It just shouldn’t have happened and there’s no apology.”
He now wants to learn the lessons from the incident. “I will use the coming days to think about my actions and how I can ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again,” wrote Zverev.
In view of the hardships – a game on the ATP Tour had never ended later – it would probably have been wiser to forgo starting in doubles with his buddy Marcelo Melo from Brazil. But Zverev played with Melo and initially lost against Brit Lloyd Glasspool and Finn Harri Heliovaara in the tie-break match 2: 6, 6: 4, 6:10 – and then completely lost his composure. The fact that he gave his demolished racket to a fan after the freak out should only have brought Zverev a few sympathy points from this supporter.
New scratches on the image
Otherwise, the image of the German athlete of the year has again received significant scratches. Internationally, Zverev is viewed critically anyway, as ATP investigations are still ongoing against him because of unproven allegations of violence from his ex-girlfriend Olga Scharypowa. At home, however, the image of the native of Hamburg had recently changed. The way in which Zverev won gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and always credibly assured him how much this medal meant to him for Germany had increased his sympathy values significantly.
The current freak out at the tournament in Acapulco is now part of his sporting false start in 2022. Zverev started the season with great ambitions and the goal of finally winning a Grand Slam tournament. But at the Australian Open, after a mysterious performance against Canadian Denis Shapovalov, he was already over in the round of 16. Missing the title defense in Acapulco means another setback, especially since he only showed fighting spirit in his first round win against the American Jenson Brooksby.
It is still unclear how things will continue for him. Next up is a start at the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells. It is still unclear whether Zverev faces further consequences in addition to the disqualification in Acapulco. The ATP did not comment further on Wednesday. A fine or a ban would be possible.