Fan Booted From US Open After Yelling Something 'Unbelievable'

'He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is,' complained German player Alexander Zverev
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 5, 2023 9:40 AM CDT
Updated Sep 9, 2023 12:10 PM CDT
Fan Booted From US Open After Yelling Something 'Unbelievable'
Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts during the fourth-round match against Jannik Sinner of Italy in the US Open tennis championships on Monday in New York.   (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

The US Open was temporarily marred by a fan incident that ended up getting said fan thrown out of the annual tennis championships in Queens, New York. Yahoo Sports reports that Germany's Alexander Zverev was well on his way to beating Italy's Jannik Sinker on Monday evening, but during the pair's fourth set, Zverev abruptly stopped game play and strode over to the chair official, "while pointing behind them into the stands." "He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world," a distressed-looking Zverev informed the official. "It's unacceptable. This is unbelievable."

The chair official was then seen turning around and demanding that the person in the crowd who made such a statement reveal themselves. "Who said that?" the angry official yelled at the audience behind him. Security eventually emerged and, after several minutes of scouring the stands, escorted out a man who was sitting about 10 rows back, to the cheers of the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium. After the match, Zverev elaborated on what he heard the man say.

"He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was 'Deutschland Uber alles,' and it was a bit too much," Zverev noted, per the AP, adding that he felt compelled to do something once he heard it. "I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it's not really a great thing to do, and I think him sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard it. So if I just don't react, I think it's bad from my side." Zverev, the No. 12 seed, ended up beating Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, in a match that lasted until almost 2am. (More US Open stories.)

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