Crowd cheers as fan booted from US Open after vile Nazi slur
<p>During a US Open tennis match held early on Tuesday morning, a spectator found themselves ejected from the event following an incident involving German tennis player Alexander Zverev.</p>
<p>The disruption arose when Zverev, seeded number 12, was locked in a fierce fourth-set battle against Italy's Jannik Sinner, seeded number six.</p>
<p>At a critical juncture in the match, just as he was about to serve, Zverev approached chair umpire James Keothavong and pointed out a fan situated right behind the umpire's chair.</p>
<p>Zverev raised the issue, stating, "He [the fan] just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is..."</p>
<p>Zverev then expressed his strong disapproval, exclaiming, "It's unacceptable, this is unbelievable."</p>
<p>In response to Zverev's concerns, Keothavong scanned the crowd and repeatedly asked, "Who said that? Who said that?" amid raucous boos from the audience.</p>
<p>The umpire swiftly made a decision, asserting, "We're going to get him out," much to the relief of those watching in Arthur Ashe Stadium.</p>
<p>Keothavong also took a moment to remind the crowd to maintain respect for both players. Shortly after, during a changeover, spectators seated near the offending fan identified him, and security promptly removed him from the venue. The crowd responded with cheers as the fan was escorted up the stadium stairs.</p>
<p>A US Tennis Association spokesperson, Chris Widmaier, confirmed the incident, stating, "A disparaging remark was directed toward Alexander Zverev. The fan was identified and escorted from the stadium."</p>
<p>Despite the disruption, Zverev went on to triumph over Sinner in a gruelling five-set match and secured his spot in the quarterfinals, where he would face the defending US Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz.</p>
<p>This epic match, which Zverev won with scores of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, endured for an impressive four hours and 41 minutes, making it the lengthiest match of the tournament up to that point. The contest concluded at 1:40 am local time in New York.</p>
<p>Reflecting on the incident in the post-match press conference, Zverev revealed that while he had encountered fans making derogatory comments before, this was the first time he had experienced an incident involving Hitler.</p>
<p>He shared: "He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much.</p>
<p>"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.”</p>
<p>Despite the disturbance, Zverev remained composed and noted, “It’s his loss, to be honest, to not witness the final two sets of that match.”</p>
<p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>
