Alexander Zverev issues a scathing attack on referees for his Grand Slam final losses
Alexander Zverev's rant was one of many episodes of outbursts from tennis players in Shanghai on Tuesday (October 8)
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Alexander Zverev (Image via X)
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev has criticized tennis referees for his failure to win an elusive Grand Slam title. During his match against Tallon Griekspoor, the German lost his temper with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani.
Initially, Zverev referred to the controversies surrounding mistakes made by the chair umpires in the previous day’s matches between Flavio Cobolli and Stanislas Wawrinka, as well as Frances Tiafoe and Roman Safiullin. He then expressed his frustration by blaming the referees for his Grand Slam final losses.
Why am I bothering to play 89 matches this year… it’s not possible, it’s not possible. Every Grand Slam final I lose is because of you, because of your mistakes. I’m here, I work like an animal, but you make a lot of mistakes. You decide the matches, you decide the outcome of the tournaments every week. Why am I doing this? For what reason?
Alexander Zverev said on court
Zverev has reached two Grand Slam finals in his career, losing both in heartbreaking five-set matches. His first loss came against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, where he squandered a two-set and a break lead.
His second Grand Slam final defeat came at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz in this year’s Roland Garros. The two-time World Tour Finals champion held a two-sets-to-one lead before the Spaniard made a comeback to claim his third Grand Slam title.
Alexander Zverev survives Tallon Griekspoor test in Shanghai
Alexander Zverev faced a tough challenge against Tallon Griekspoor in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. It took him eight match points to secure his spot in the last 16.
With this win, Zverev advanced to the fourth round of his ninth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 tournament, staying on course for a potential second title in 2024. Despite a shaky second set, he managed to pull through with a 7-6(6), 2-6, 7-6(5) victory, now leading Griekspoor 5-1 in their head-to-head matches.
Zverev’s determination became evident towards the end of the first set when he clinched a crucial point to turn the match in his favor. However, the two-time Grand Slam finalist struggled in the next set, making several mistakes. Griekspoor capitalized on this to level the match at one set each, showing strong play with minimal errors.
In the deciding set, the Dutchman defended against eight break points, including four match points in the 12th game, forcing a tie-breaker. Zverev initially dominated the tie-breaker with a 6-2 lead, but Griekspoor fought back, narrowing the gap. Ultimately, a missed forehand volley by Griekspoor handed the World No.3 victory after a hard-fought match.
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Fahad Hamid
(645 Articles Published)