During his US Open round of 16 match against Jannik Sinner on Monday night, Alexander Zverev, one of the world’s top tennis players, was compelled to have a fan removed from the venue. The fan had repeatedly made references to Hitler directed at the German player.
Zverev, aged 26, previously reached the US Open final in 2020 and held the No. 2 spot in the world rankings. He also secured a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The incident occurred during the fourth set of Zverev’s 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over the sixth-seeded Sinner.
Zverev abruptly halted play and approached the chair official, gesturing towards the stands behind them.
He informed the official, “He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world. This is unacceptable. This is unbelievable.”
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The official then turned to identify the responsible fan. Those around the individual pointed him out, and security promptly escorted him out of the arena.
Zverev conceded the set to Sinner, 4-6, but rallied to secure a 6-3 victory in the final set, advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the next round, Zverev will face world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who was forced to withdraw from last year’s US Open due to injury. Alcaraz, aged 20, is the reigning US Open champion and recently claimed his first Wimbledon title.
Following the match, Zverev expressed his satisfaction at being back on the court, stating, “I guess I can say I’m back, right? Last year when I wasn’t able to play, this is exactly what I missed: playing until 1.30 am in front of a packed crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. There’s nothing better.”
Regarding the fan’s behavior, Zverev mentioned that he appreciates an enthusiastic crowd but believed this crossed a line.
“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,” he remarked. “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.”
