Alexander Zverev will spend the next year walking a disciplinary tightrope after the ATP handed him a suspended eight-week ban for the extraordinary outburst that led to his expulsion from last month’s Mexican Open.
Zverev, the world No 3, was thrown out of the event in Acapulco after repeatedly smashing his racket into the chair of umpire Alessandro Germani during a foul-mouthed tirade towards the official at the end of a doubles match.
The German, who later apologised to Germani and expressed his contrition in a public statement, was fined $40,000 (£30,500) for his behaviour. He also forfeited roughly $30,000 in prize money from the event.
A review into the incident by Miro Bratoev, the ATP’s senior vice-president of rules and competition, concluded that the Olympic champion was guilty of a “major offence”. Zverev will nonetheless escape further sanction – including an additional $25,000 fine – so long as he keeps his nose clean for the next 12 months.
“The review determined that Zverev committed aggravated behaviour under the player major offence section of ATP Rules,” the ATP said in a statement. “As a result, Zverev has been issued an additional fine of $25,000 and a suspension for a period of eight weeks from any ATP-sanctioned event. However, the fine and suspension are withheld on the condition that, over a probation period ending 22 February 2023 (one year from the incident), the player does not incur a further code violation.”
To avoid triggering the ban, Zverev must ensure he does not receive any further code violations for unsportsmanlike conduct or verbal or physical abuse before the end of his probationary period. He has until Friday to lodge an appeal.
Despite issuing a statement in which he said it was “difficult to put into words” how much he regretted his actions in Acapulco, Zverev has been widely condemned for his actions.
At the weekend, Zverev was heckled by the crowd during Germany’s David Cup win over Brazil, prompting him to object afterwards that a line had been crossed.
“When it gets towards your family members, or when it gets towards somebody that you love, this is where I draw the line of respect,” said Zverev, who won both his singles matches. “Today that line was crossed.”
Zverev may have to accustom himself to crowd hostility, however. His behaviour in Acapulco did little to endear him to the watching world, and many will feel the ATP has shown too much leniency. Pam Shriver, the American TV pundit and former world No 3, was among the first to express surprise after the outcome of Bratoev’s review was announced.
“Name another sport that would not protect its officials who have been physically attacked and intimidated by a competitor, by serving a probation vs a suspension,” Shriver wrote on Twitter.
Serena Williams, meanwhile, has accused the sport of double standards over its initial handling of the incident, claiming she would have faced harsher punishment had she behaved similarly.
“There is absolutely a double standard,” said Williams in a recent TV interview. “I would probably be in jail if I did that – like, literally, no joke.”
Zverev is currently under investigation by the ATP over allegations of domestic abuse against his former girlfriend Olga Sharypova at the Shanghai Masters in 2019. The 24-year-old has consistently denied all allegations against him.