Tuesday, March 8, 2022 – 13:19 WIB
VIVA – The ATP professional men’s tennis association has given world number three Alexander Zverev an eight-week suspension for hitting his racket into the referee’s chair during a match in Acapulco last month, which saw him kicked out of the tournament.
Zverev was fined $20,000 for unsportsmanlike behavior and forfeited more than $31,000 in prize money and all ranking points earned from singles and doubles action in the Abierto Mexicano tournament.
After a review, the ATP found that the 24-year-old German had engaged in “aggravated behavior” and was fined an additional $25,000 and an eight-week ban from competing in any ATP-approved event.
Quoted from Reuters, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, the ATP said that the ban and additional fines, provided that during the probationary period that ended one year after the incident, Zverev would not be fined again for unsportsmanlike behavior.
After losing in the doubles in Acapulco and annoyed by phone calls during the match, Zverev approached referee Alessandro Germani’s chair and nearly hit him as he swung his racket before heading to his courtside seat.
The 2020 US Open runner-up then approached the referee’s chair for the second time and hit him again while shouting expletives.
