Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns to Grigor Dimitrov, of Bulgaria, during the third round of the … [+]
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During his fourth round match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Alexander Zverev, the No. 12 seed from Germany, complained about a spectator who used what he called “the most famous Hitler phrase there is.” This incident led to the ejection of the fan from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The match, which lasted nearly five hours, saw Zverev defeating sixth seed Jannik Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Zverev was serving in the fourth set when he halted the match to inform chair umpire James Keothavong about the spectator’s comment. Expressing his anger and disbelief, Zverev labeled the remark as unacceptable.
Upon Zverev’s complaint, the chair umpire promptly addressed the situation by requesting the spectator to come forward and identify himself. However, the man did not cooperate.
“We’re going to get him out,” announced Keothavong. The umpire also reminded the other spectators to remain fair and respectful towards both players.
A few minutes later, security personnel, assisted by ESPN’s Brad Gilbert and other spectators, approached the court to identify and remove the offending fan from the stadium amidst a chorus of boos.
In a statement to Reuters, a spokesperson from the USTA confirmed that the fan responsible for the disparaging remark had been identified and escorted out of the stadium.
Despite the incident, Zverev described his victory as one of the best moments of his career, considering his comeback from a serious ankle injury sustained during last year’s French Open against Rafael Nadal.
“I guess I can say I’m back,” he said. “It’s one of the best moments of my career.”
Zverev is set to face defending champion and No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
(Reuters contributed reporting)
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