Alexander Zverev receives huge fine and loses Acapulco ranking points for outburst
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev has been hit with a hefty fine by the ATP following his outburst in Acapulco.
The German partnered Marcelo Melo in men's doubles at the Mexican Open and took on Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara in the round of 16. During the match, Zverev argued with the chair umpire regarding a call that he thought was out.
"Look where the ball bounced! It's 8-6 in a tiebreaker! Look where the ball bounced, for God's sake! It's your line!" Zverev yelled. "It's f**king your line! You f**king idiot! F**k off!"
Glasspool and Heliovaara eventually won the match 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 to reach the quarterfinals of the men's doubles competition.
Zverev was eventually disqualified from the competition for unsportsmanlike behavior after striking the umpire's chair with his raquet. But that's not where it ended for the German.
Aviso importante @atptour
Due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of his doubles match on Tuesday night, Alexander Zverev has been withdrawn from the tournament in Acapulco.
The ATP has fined Zverev for verbal abuse and unsportsmanlike conduct which amounted to $40,000. He was also made to forfeit $31,570 in prize money from the tournament and lost all his ranking points. The ATP has announced it will review the incident further.
ATP fines Alexander Zverev $40K, takes away his $31K in prize money and his rankings points from the Mexican Open after his violent outburst. apnews.com/article/winter…
"It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behaviour" - Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev wrote on social media that he was sorry for his actions and that had he apologized to the chair umpire. The German said he would take time off to "reflect" on his behavior and vowed "it will not happen again."
"It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behaviour during and after the doubles match yesterday," Zverev said. "I have privately apologised to the chair umpire because my outburst towards him was wrong and unacceptable, and I am only disappointed in myself.
"It should not have happened and there is no excuse. I would also like to apologise 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'm 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."
Many players have weighed in on the situation. Rafael Nadal said Zverev deserved his punishment while Andy Murray called his actions reckless and dangerous.
Novak Djokovic was relatively sympathetic towards the German, saying "everyone is flawed and can make mistakes."
Zverev entered the Mexican Open as the reigning champion and won his first-round match against Jenson Brooksby. He was set to play compatriot Peter Gojowczyk before being withdrawn from the tournament.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal will square off against new World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in what will be a rematch of the Australian Open final, while Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Cameron Norrie.