Following his outburst in Acapulco, Mexico, when he was pulled from the competition for unsportsmanlike behaviour, tennis star Alexander Zverev has been placed on probation.
The ATP declared in a statement that Miro Bratoev, its’ Senior Vice President of Rules and Competition, has concluded his evaluation of Alexander Zverev’s conduct, and the review decided that Zverev has committed aggravated behaviour under the Player Major Offense section of the ATP Rules.
After his and Marcelo Melo’s 6-2 4-6 10-6 loss to Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara in the doubles match at the Mexican Open, Zverev protested with the umpire after the crucial tie-break. The 24-year-old hit umpire Alessandro Germani’s chair with his racket multiple times.
As a result, Zverev has been fined an additional USD 25,000 and has been barred from competing in any ATP-sanctioned tournament for the period of the next eight weeks. However, the fine and suspension have been withheld for now.
The condition laid down for withholding the fine and suspension is that he will not commit another code violation that results in a fine during a probation period ending February 22, 2023 (one year after the incident) and does not commit another code violation that results in a fine for: Unsportsmanlike Conduct based on an act, such as disrespectful or aggressive behaviour directed towards an official, opponent, spectator, or other person during or after a match, during which an official, opponent, spectator, or other individual is verbally or physically abused.
Following the end of the probation term, if all the criteria are satisfied, the penalties will be legally taken off. If the criteria aren’t met, fines will be applied once the appeals processes have been exhausted.
In Acapulco, Zverev was fined a total of USD 40,000 in on-the-spot fines for verbal abuse and unsportsmanlike behaviour. He also gave up the whole prize pool of USD 31,570 (singles and doubles) as well as all ATP Ranking points earned in the tournament.
Player Major Offense decisions are determined completely by the ATP’s Senior Vice President of Rules & Competition, with no input from the ATP Management or Board.
Zverev has until Friday, March 11 to file an appeal against the investigation’s findings.
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