In a stormy (in every sense) day at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, Alexander Zverev sensationally attacked the chair umpire who was refereeing the German's challenge against Tallon Griekspoor, a match won by Sascha after a very tough battle.
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The German had several arguments with Mohamed Lahyani, the umpire of the match. The reason for the controversy triggered by the ATP number 3 was a point reported for a double bounce, but which in reality according to him had only hit the ground once. Despite the replay later confirming Lahyani's choice, Zverev did not remain silent, dedicating some really serious accusations to him, shouting:
"Why do I care about playing 89 matches this year, it's not possible, it's not possible. Every Grand Slam final I lose is your fault, your mistakes. I'm here, I work like an animal, but you make a lot of mistakes. You decide the matches, you decide the outcome of the tournaments every week. Why do I do it, for what reason?"
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But not only Zverev. In the last few hours, the harsh outburst by Frances Tiafoe at the end of the match lost in the tie-break of the third set against Roman Safiullin has caused much discussion. An explosion of anger directed at the lines judge, who he first did not shake hands with and then insulted him by repeating several times insults out loud.
The reason for this strong protest is due to a warning for time violation. At 5-5, during the decisive tie-break. A warning that forced him to play a dangerous second serve. The American then ended up suffering the mini-break right there and losing the match 7-5, 5-7, (5) 6-7 after more than three hours.
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Zverev, between pneumonia and attacks against ATP
The busy schedule, with so many tournaments close together without allowing players to rest and recover energy, has returned to prominence as a topic in the world of tennis during the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup. Alexander Zverev, in the press conference, had complained a lot about the current schedule, heavily attacking ATP.
"There is no sport where so much is played, it cannot continue like this. It puts the health of the players at risk, it is inconceivable that a season starts on December 29 and ends in the second week of November. Here it is all about money, it is the only thing that matters for the ATP, we players have no decision-making power. Many times journalists come here to ask us things that are impossible to answer, now I want to know what you would do.
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If you want to fight for important things like being number 1in the world or winning a Slam, with this calendar you have to play many weeks a year and it is unsustainable. This week we can talk and we all agree on many things, but we cannot change anything. Everything is money.
The tournaments have a license and we cannot do anything about it. It is impossible to suppress some. We stop competing, we boycott the ATP, and then? Do you think this will change anything? We would lose money, other players would take our place and nothing would change. I only trust in the steps that the PTPA is taking to make us listen, but it is an issue that has no short-term solution," he said.
Before Shanghai, the German also revealed that he had been suffering from pneumonia.
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"Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with pneumonia, which explains my physical problems in recent months. I have to take care of my health to be able to return to racing as soon as possible."
Zverev then talked about it on the eve of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, revealing: "I had a small problem with my lungs. I have an inflammation in my lung again that will take a few months, two or three months to completely disappear. I'm taking medicine, but the reason why I withdrew from Beijing is that I was very sick, I had a high fever during and after the Laver Cup. In the end I ended up in the hospital, I didn't feel well and I had no energy to play, I was on antibiotics for a week. Now I feel better, but the problem with my lungs has not gone away, it's still there. I still feel a little more tired than I am used to, but either I take a season off or I play as I can. The doctor told me that if I play I will not delay my recovery and I will not get worse, so I am happy to give 100% of what I have."
