Alexander Zverev was expelled from the Mexican Open for "unsportsmanlike conduct" and faces a significant punishment after the 24-year-old German ace attacked the umpire's chair at the end of a contentious doubles match in Acapulco.
Olympic gold medalist Zverev and his partner, Brazil's Marcelo Melo, were beaten 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 by the team of Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and after engaging in a handshake at the net, Zverev took out his frustrations on the elevated chair on which the umpire was sitting, striking it three times with his racket.
He then sat down before rising again to hit the chair, on which the umpire was still sitting, one more time. He could also be heard angrily remonstrating with the official while the crowd jeered in the background. One of Zverev's swings appeared to come close to striking the umpire's leg.
Tournament organizers wasted little time in acting and soon announced on social media that the German star had been "withdrawn" from the tournament.
"Due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of his doubles match on Tuesday night, Alexander Zverev has been withdrawn from the tournament in Acapulco," read a statement posted to Twitter.
The ATP has not yet announced what, if any, action will be taken against Zverev due to his outburst but the Mexican Open tournament bracket shows that Zverev's second round opponent in the men's singles competition, Peter Gojowczyk, has been advanced to the third round.
Unsportsmanlike conduct is defined by the ATP as: "Any misconduct by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the success of a tournament, ATP and/or the sport."
Zverev's anger could be traced back to an incident in the third set tiebreak when he believed that a ball had been incorrectly called as out by the umpire, with the Mexican crowd appearing to back the official's decision.
The ATP investigated Zverev last year amid allegations that he had been violent towards his former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, during the Shanghai Masters in 2019. Zverev vigorously denied the claims.