A former head of officiating on the ATP Tour has called the suspended sentence handed out to Alexander Zverev as “pathetic”, adding that “this was the most egregious piece of misconduct from a player towards an umpire that I have witnessed in several decades of involvement with the sport.”
Zverev was expelled from last month’s Mexican Open, and docked all his prize money, for hitting the umpire’s chair four times with his racket at the conclusion of a doubles match.
The ATP then conducted a “Major Offence Investigation”, of which the outcome – a ban of eight weeks, and fine of $25,000 (£19,000), both suspended for 12 months – has been derided as weak by many observers. Especially as Zverev is already being investigated, albeit extremely slowly, in connection with allegations of domestic abuse by his former girlfriend Olga “Olya” Sharypova.
“They’ve called it unsportsmanlike conduct,” said Richard Ings, who was the ATP’s vice-president for rules and competition between 2001 and 2005, before going on to run Australia’s national anti-doping agency ASADA. “But this is akin to physical abuse, smashing the umpire’s chair with your racket.
“I’ve seen players get frustrated,” added Ings. “I’ve seen them smack balls away angrily. But I’ve not seen anyone smash the umpire’s chair – not once, not twice but four times. You’ve got to ask, what did he need to do to be suspended? Break the umpire’s leg? Draw blood? That was as bad as it gets without physically putting the umpire in hospital.”
Playing doubles with Brazil’s Marcelo Melo in Acapulco, Zverev became infuriated by some close line calls towards the end of a tight match, which he and Melo eventually lost on the super tie-break.
As the players returned to their seats, he swiped his racket three times into the chair of umpire Alessandro Germani, before adding a fourth whack as an alarmed-looking Germani was in the process of climbing down.
Zverev then issued a public apology, both towards Germani and the wider tennis world, which included a promise that “I’m going to take the coming days to reflect on my actions and how I can ensure that it will not happen again.” But he was back on the court last weekend, playing for the German Davis Cup team in Brazil, where he was booed by the crowd.
After being handed this weak sentence – a 12-month probationary period – Zverev can continue playing this week in the so-called “fifth major” at Indian Wells.
Even before the ruling arrived, Serena Williams had already anticipated the laxity of the game’s reponse. In an interview with CNN’s Christine Amanpour at the weekend, Williams was asked about the Zverev incident and replied “There is absolutely a double standard. I would probably be in jail if I did that, like literally, no joke.”
Williams has herself been involved in various flare-ups with officials, most notoriously at the 2018 US Open final, where chair umpire Carlos Ramos took a game away from her for a third code violation.
Meanwhile, the former Wimbledon doubles champion Pam Shriver tweeted “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? What am I missing?”
Also in the world of tennis umpires, the International Tennis Federation has advertised for a new head of officiating after the previous incumbent, Soeren Friemel, resigned last month. Friemel had already been handed a 12-month suspension for making what the ITF called “inappropriate comments and invitations” to a younger male umpire. Interviews for his replacement are expected to begin next week.