A drawn out doubles defeat was the prelude to a sweary rant and attack on the umpire’s chair that saw Alexander Zverev expelled from the Mexican Open.
“Due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of his doubles match on Tuesday night, Alexander Zverev has been withdrawn from the tournament in Acapulco,” the ATP, who govern men’s tennis, tweeted.
The world number three, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, lost his head when he and doubles partner Marcelo Melo of Brazil were beaten 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 by Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliövaara of Finland.
The 24-year-old defending champion smashed his racket three times just below umpire Alessandro Germani’s feet before taking his seat and then rising again to verbally abuse the official and smash the chair one last time.
He had apparently been aggravated by a line call during the match. Zverev had been involved in a marathon first-round singles clash with American Jenson Brooksby that had finished early Tuesday morning — the latest-ever finish to a professional tennis match.
Zverev is also being investigated by the ATP over claims that he was violent towards a former girlfriend. He has repeatedly denied the claims.
