German tennis player Alexander Zverev, world number 3 in men’s singles, was expelled from the tournament on the grounds that he attacked the referee with his racket after the match at the Mexican Open he attended.
In the men’s doubles round of 16 of the hard court tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico, Zverev and his partner Brazilian Marcelo Melo lost 2-1 to English Lloyd Glasspool and Finnish Harri Heliovaara pair 6-2, 4-6 and 10-6.
After the match ended, Zverev got angry with the referee’s decisions and came in front of the referee’s seat. The 24-year-old tennis player, who hit the metal seat against the referee’s feet hard several times, left the court after verbally insulting him.
Taking action after the incident, the Professional Tennis Association (ATP) announced that Zverev, who also competed in the men’s singles category at the Mexican Open, was expelled from the tournament.
Zverev, who won the Mexican Open in men’s singles last year and in men’s doubles in 2019, won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.