Alexander Zverev candidly confesses why he reacted to fan shouting Nazi slogan

• Tennis News
• ATP Tennis

German tennis star Alexander Zverev said he felt it would be "bad" from his side if he didn't react after hearing a US Open fan shouting a Nazi slogan. In the fourth set of his US Open round-of-16 match against Jannik Sinner, Zverev stopped the play and went to chair umpire James Keothavong to discuss something.

“He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world. It's not acceptable," Zverev was heard telling Keothavong. The reaction was made after the Zverev complaint, and after the spectator was identified, he was thrown out of the stadium.

Zverev: Not really proud of that history, It'd be bad if I didn't react

“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.

I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though. I don't mind it, I love when fans are loud, I love when fans are emotional. But 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 said after the match. After having a spectator kicked out, Zverev lost the fourth set but still claimed a 6-4 3-6 6-2 4-6 6-3 win over Sinner. It was nearly 2 am local time when the match finished.

When asked about the spectator who didn't get to watch the match until the end, Zverev suggested the spectator had no one to blame but himself. “It's his loss, to be honest, to not witness the final two sets of that match,” Zverev said.

In his next match, Zverev plays against Carlos Alcaraz. It remains to be seen if Zverev can beat defending champion Alcaraz and reach the US Open semifinal.