Mischa Zverev blames Daniil Medvedev for ‘DIVERSIONARY MANEUVER’ that resulted in Alexander Zverev’s loss at Monte-Carlo

There does not seem an end in sight for the Alexander Zverev–Daniil Medvedev controversy. The ugly scenes which were viewed during the third round match between these two players did create a stir in the media.

Daniil Medvedev tried many antics to unsettle his opponent in this match. On one of the occasions, the Russian took the net post off and dropped it on the ground after winning the game in the second set. This was deliberately done to unnerve the German as he looked at him, puzzled. When he realized what has been done, he looked first at the chair umpire, then at his coach, and smiled.

American broadcaster Tennis TV shared an excerpt of this match on social media.

“Never change, Daniil,” the caption read.

“So, what…just it doesn’t break, he does not get a warning for that…Well, apparently!” the two commentators said and burst into laughter.

Alexander Zverev came very close to finishing the match twice. He had two match points during the match, in the second set and also in the third set, but he failed to convert on both occasions. In the end, Daniil Medvedev snatched victory from Alexander Zverev. The scoreline read 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9/7) in favor of the Russian.

Both the players had an icy handshake at the end of the match. After the match, upset Alexander Zverev called Daniil Medvedev an unfair athlete.

“He is one of the least fair play players in the world. I am extremely disappointed in him as an athlete,” the current world No.16 had said.

Now, Alexander Zverev’s elder brother Mischa Zverev has also shared his opinions on the controversy.

“The regulations have many gray areas. The ATP rule book does not say, for example, that the net post should not be intentionally removed. No one has ever had this idea before. It’s not an aggression either, but rather a diversionary maneuver – with the idea, of course, of disturbing the opponent or amusing the public, and thus creating an atmosphere to overturn the momentum,” Mischa Zverev said.

“And it just worked. Of course, Sascha also said that he shouldn’t get distracted by that.(…) Spectators may find it interesting and say that there is entertainment or action in the match. But as a professional, I want to watch the game. I like nice shots, not when someone is tying their shoelaces 15 times before break point, taking a medical timeout or heating up the crowd. These are things I don’t pay attention to and don’t do. Sasha thinks the same. He wants to play tennis and win by playing,” he continued.

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Alexander Zverev lost opener at home turf

After a few days of his Monte-Carlo Masters’ heated word exchange, Alexander Zverev traveled to his native country Germany to participate in the BMW Open. He was received with joy and honor in Munich, Germany. German fans had great expectations from him.

However, in his very first match of the competition, he lost to Australia’s Christopher O’Connell. The scoreline read 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in favor of the Australian. In his post-match interview, he blamed his loss on the high expectations of the native crowd, which made him nervous.

“I was nervous, I don’t play with as much pressure, I play more slowly, I move more slowly – it’s a combination of things. It was cold, and I find it difficult to manage the pressure,” he said.

Alexander Zverev will next be seen in the Madrid Open.

In case you missed it:

• Andy Murray’s DISGRACEFUL coaching career comes to an end after his own 5-year-old daughter rejects him
• Aryna Sabalenka admits she was ‘DONE’ and wanted to SMASH RACKET in frustration against Paula Badosa

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