A fan was removed from Arthur Ashe Stadium early Tuesday morning after German tennis player Alexander Zverev said he heard the man utter “the most famous Hitler phrase there is.”
Zverev defeated Jannik Sinner in five sets and moved to the quarterfinal, but the match was marred by the disgusting comment.
With the match even at 2-2 in the fourth set, Zverev walked to the chair umpire and complained about the fan’s remarks.
“It’s unacceptable,” the 26-year-old told umpire James Keothavong, who then turned around and demanded that the fan in question reveal themselves.
“Who said that? Who said that? We’re going to get him out,” Keothavong said and then made an announcement to the crowd asking for respect to the players.
Multiple security members then entered the stands and searched for the fan for several minutes. While play continued, cameras showed a man speaking with security before he was escorted out of the stadium. The crowd cheered for his removal and booed him as he walked away.
They just escorted someone out. Unclear if this was the person who shouted “the most famous Hitler phrase” before #USOpen2023 #zverev #sinner pic.twitter.com/wbbUWAy2Vi
— Nicole Michelle (@pinkycupcake128) September 5, 2023
Afterward, Zverev explained what he heard and why it impacted him.
“He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day,” he said. “It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much.”
“I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though,” the world number 12 continued. “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.”
“It’s his loss, to be honest, to not witness the final two sets of that match,” he added.
Zverev advances to take on defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday.
[NY Post]
