‘More trouble!’ Alexander Zverev fined heavily by the ATP after getting thrown out of Mexican Open!
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Alexander Zverev
After smashing the chair umpire’s stand with his racquet and rebuking the umpire following a loss in doubles in a spurt of anger, Alexander Zverev was fined $40,000 by the men’s professional tennis tour and will renounce more than $30,000 in prize money and all ranking points from the Acapulco tournament.
The ATP also announced Thursday that it would undergo “a further review of the incident” along with the fines. Zverev is currently World No. 3 and was the winner of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was also a defending champion at the Acapulco tournament.
The ruckus ensued when the World No. 3 objected with a line call umpire Alessandro Germani made the point before he and partner Marcelo Melo fell to Lloyd Glasspool and Harry Heliovaara in the first round doubles match. Zverev then shouted and swore at the umpire, and was subsequently handed a code violation by Germani for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Following his 2-6, 6-4, 6-10 loss, Zverev’s rage escalated to the point where he failed to contain himself, and right after the post-match handshake, he walked to the chair umpire and violently smacked his racquet against his chair three times, and cursed at him again before sitting down. Zverev was fined $20,000 for verbal abuse and unsportsmanlike conduct, the maximum penalty for each violation, as per the ATP.
Zverev took it to Instagram to apologize for his behaviour
After getting removed from the draw, Zverev took to social media to apologize for his actions. He took 100% blame for his actions and expressed his disappointment in himself.
“It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behavior during and after the doubles match yesterday,” Zverev posted. “I have privately apologized to the chair umpire because my outburst towards him was wrong and unacceptable, and I am only disappointed in myself. It just should not have happened and there is no excuse.”
He went on saying “I would also like to apologize to my fans, the tournament, and the sport that I love. As you know, I leave everything on the court. Yesterday, I left too much. I am going to take the coming days to reflect – on my actions and how I can ensure that it will not happen again. I am sorry for letting you down.”
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Shilpi Pusadkar
(106 Articles Published)