German Alexander Zverev had a spectator thrown out of his US Open match against Jannik Sinner for shouting “the most famous Hitler phrase”.
A man could clearly be heard yelling “Deutschland uber alles” inside Arthur Ashe Stadium as Zverev prepared to serve.
Zverev, the 12th seed, approached English umpire James Keothovang and said: “He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in the world. It’s unacceptable. This is unbelievable.”
The longest match at the US Open this year. 😳
Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev never quit. pic.twitter.com/6YxCgISTmX— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2023
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Keothovang turned to the crowd and asked: “Who was the smart guy who said that? Who said that? Put your hand up. We’re going to get him out.”
He then announced to the crowd: “Please be fair and respect the players.”
The man suspected of yelling the slur was ejected by security at the end of the game.
Zverev went on to win the match in five sets and afterwards, the 26-year-old told reporters: “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.”
