Alexander Zverev, amid pushback from tennis community, gets the support of Tennys Sandgren in French Open coin toss controversy
Alexander Zverev received support from fellow tennis professional Tennys Sandgren amid his 2024 French Open coin toss controversy. The 27-year-old triumphed over Alex de Minaur with a score of 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-4 in the quarterfinals but became embroiled in a plethora of doubts regarding a mix-up in the coin toss before the match. The German has advanced to the semifinals after beating the Australian.
The controversy occurred when the umpire asked Alexander Zverev to choose a side (ball or racquet) before the flip. The German chose ball, but when the coin landed it appeared to be on the racquet side. The umpire then asked de Minaur whether he wanted to serve or receive. Zverev interrupted, insisting he had said racquet, which the umpire eventually agreed with.
When the umpire asked Zverev if he wanted to serve or receive, he in a sportsmanlike gesture asked de Minaur for his preference, opting in the end to receive since de Minaur had said he wanted to serve. However, according to tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg on X, the incident was not simply a misunderstanding but was done deliberately.
"I have never seen such casual, committed scammery in tennis like this before."
Although many pointed fingers at Zverev over the mix-up, American professional player Tennys Sandgren defended him quote tweeting Rothenberg's post, asserting that Zverev's actions were not intentional.
"There’s not a snowballs chance in fu** he did this on purpose dude (laughing emoji)"
Alexander Zverev will face Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open
Alexander Zverev faces Casper Ruud in his third semifinal appearance at the French Open. Fresh off a victory at the Italian Open, Zverev is considered one of the favorites in the tournament and has performed well so far
He started his French Open campaign spectacularly, eliminating top favorite Rafael Nadal in straight sets. His winning streak continued as he took down players such as David Goffin, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur.
Ruud, meanwhile, is set to play his own third - and consecutive - French Open semifinal. Ruud has also had a stellar clay-court season, securing titles at the Barcelona Open and the Geneva Open, and finishing as runner-up at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The two are yet to win a Grand Slam. Their head-to-head record also stands evenly at two victories each. Notably, Ruud defeated Zverev in last year's Roland-Garros semifinals, setting the stage for a potential revenge match for the German this time around.