During a US Open tennis match held early on Tuesday morning, a spectator found themselves ejected from the event following an incident involving German tennis player Alexander Zverev.
The disruption arose when Zverev, seeded number 12, was locked in a fierce fourth-set battle against Italy’s Jannik Sinner, seeded number six.
At a critical juncture in the match, just as he was about to serve, Zverev approached chair umpire James Keothavong and pointed out a fan situated right behind the umpire’s chair.
Zverev raised the issue, stating, “He [the fan] just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is…”
Zverev then expressed his strong disapproval, exclaiming, “It’s unacceptable, this is unbelievable.”
In response to Zverev’s concerns, Keothavong scanned the crowd and repeatedly asked, “Who said that? Who said that?” amid raucous boos from the audience.
The umpire swiftly made a decision, asserting, “We’re going to get him out,” much to the relief of those watching in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Keothavong also took a moment to remind the crowd to maintain respect for both players. Shortly after, during a changeover, spectators seated near the offending fan identified him, and security promptly removed him from the venue. The crowd responded with cheers as the fan was escorted up the stadium stairs.
A US Tennis Association spokesperson, Chris Widmaier, confirmed the incident, stating, “A disparaging remark was directed toward Alexander Zverev. The fan was identified and escorted from the stadium.”
Despite the disruption, Zverev went on to triumph over Sinner in a gruelling five-set match and secured his spot in the quarterfinals, where he would face the defending US Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz.
This epic match, which Zverev won with scores of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, endured for an impressive four hours and 41 minutes, making it the lengthiest match of the tournament up to that point. The contest concluded at 1:40 am local time in New York.
Reflecting on the incident in the post-match press conference, Zverev revealed that while he had encountered fans making derogatory comments before, this was the first time he had experienced an incident involving Hitler.
He shared: “He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much.
“I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though. I don’t mind it, I love when fans are loud, I love when fans are emotional. But I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it’s not really a great thing to do and I think him sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard it. So if I just don’t react, I think it’s bad from my side.”
Despite the disturbance, Zverev remained composed and noted, “It’s his loss, to be honest, to not witness the final two sets of that match.”
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