Acapulco, Mexico: German Olympic tennis singles champion Alexander Zverev’s expulsion from the Acapulco Open for his foul-mouthed tantrum was deserved, said Spanish legend Rafael Nadal.
Nadal - playing his first tournament since he became the recordholder for Grand Slam singles titles when he won the Australian Open last month - added it was not the ‘Sascha’ (Zverev) he knew and with whom he has good relations.
World number three Zverev smashed his racket several times against the umpire Alessandro Germani’s chair and delivered a foul mouthed rant at the official after he and partner Marcelo Melo had lost Tuesday’s doubles match.
The 24-year-old - the defending champion - was subsequently disqualified, additional punishment is likely to follow, and issued an apology saying his tirade of abuse at Germani was “unacceptable.”
“I enjoy good relations with Alexander, but at the end of the day the punishment is deserved,” said Nadal at a press conference after beating American Stefan Kozlov in the second round of the Acapulco Open. Nadal extended his winning run in 2022 to 12 matches in his best start to a season in his career, dismissing Kozlov 6-0 6-3.
“One cannot behave in this manner and I believe he is conscious of that.”
Nadal said Zverev’s behaviour served as a bad example to the youngsters who saw tennis stars as role models.
“Unfortunately, the image that Alexander gave yesterday, exacerbated by being posted on social media accounts which lights the touchpaper, will have been seen by millions of children,” said Nadal.
“They base their attitude on ours and we must set an example and show a minimum of respect.”
Nadal - seeking his 91st career ATP title and fourth Acapulco crown - said every player endures frustrating moments.
“I understand the frustration, I understand that in a moment of anger one can break a racket,” he said.
“I am not going to criticise him more than to say it displeases me because I was not brought up like that.”
Nadal’s assessment of Zverev’s behaviour mirrored that of world number one Novak Djokovic and Britain’s three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray, who are in Dubai.
Djokovic - who was disqualified from the 2020 US Open for inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball - said he could not “justify” Zverev’s actions.
Murray speaking after being knocked out of the Dubai tournament termed Zverev’s tantrum as “dangerous” and reckless”.
Daniil Medvedev earlier crushed Pablo Andujar 6-1 6-2 and put himself three wins away from victory at the tournament and rising to the world number one ranking for the first time.
Medvedev pretended like he might serve underhand on match point but instead thumped his seventh ace, eliciting a smile from the 68th-ranked Spaniard who played well but who could not break down the Russian’s firm defense.
World No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas also wasted little time in dispatching American qualifier J.J. Wolf, the French Open finalist sprinting to a 6-1, 6-0 win in just 47 minutes in the last match of the evening on the main showcourt.
