US Open kicks out fan who shouted Hitler’s regime at Zverev

NEW YORK – A fan was kicked out of a US Open tennis match early Tuesday morning after German player Alexander Zverev complained that the man used language from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.

Zverev, seeded No. 12, was serving at 2-2 in the fourth set of his match against No. 6 Yannick Sinner when he suddenly went to referee James Keuthavong and pointed towards the fan who was sitting in a section behind the player. to rule.

“He just said the most famous phrase of Hitler in this world,” Zverev told Keuthavong. “this is unacceptable.”

Keothavong turned back and asked the fan to identify himself and then asked the fans to respect both players. During the substitution shortly after Zverev served, the fan was recognized by others seated near him, and was removed by security.

“An insulting remark was made towards Alexander Zverev,” said Chris Widmeier, a spokesman for the US Tennis Association. The fan was identified and removed from the stadium.

Zverev said after the match that he had asked fans to make derogatory comments before, but none of them related to Hitler.

“He started singing Hitler’s anthem, which was at that time,” Zverev explained. “It was Deutschland über alles, and it was a little overdone.

“I think he’s been in the game for a long time, though. I don’t mind it. I like when the fans are noisy. I like when the fans are emotional. But I think I’m German and I’m not really proud of that.” “History, it’s not really a great thing, and I think he was sitting in one of the front rows, and I think a lot of people heard him. So if I don’t react, I think it’s bad on my part.”

Zverev continued to lose that set when he began to suffer from the wet conditions after Sinner went into severe cramps in the third set. But Zverev rallied to win the fifth set, ending the 4-hour, 41-minute match at around 1:40am. He will then play US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

Zverev said it wasn’t hard to get over the fan’s note.

“Honestly, it’s his loss, not watching the last two sets of that match,” Zverev said.