Alexander Zverev fined $40K, will forfeit $30K in prize money after chair-slamming meltdown at Mexican Open

A chair-slamming meltdown at the Mexican Open will cost Alexander Zverev money and a shot at defending his men’s singles title. The ATP fined Zverev $40,000 on Thursday, two days after he berated an umpire. Zverev will also lose his full prize money of $31,570 and all ranking points he earned in Acapulco. 

On Wednesday, the Mexican Open ejected Zverev — the world’s third-ranked tennis player — after a fiery outburst he directed toward umpire Alessandro Germani during a doubles match the day prior. Zverev called Germani a “f—ing idiot” during play then smacked the umpire’s chair with his racket multiple times after the match. 

The drama began when Zverev disagreed with a line call Germani made the point before he and partner Marcelo Melo lost to Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliövaara in a first-round doubles match. Germani gave Zverev a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct after the 24-year-old yelled “for f—s sake, look where the ball bounced” in his direction.

Zverev’s anger only grew following his 2-6, 6-4, 6-10 loss. After the post-match handshake, Zverev walked directly to Germani’s chair and slammed his racket against it three times before sitting down himself. Germani moved to avoid contact, and Zverev still nearly struck his foot. 

That wasn’t the end of Zverev’s rant, however, as the German stood up to yell at the umpire and slam his chair one last time. 

Two hours after the match, the ATP announced it withdrew Zverev from the tournament for unsportsmanlike conduct. Zverev was eventually fined $20,000 each for unsportsmanlike conduct and verbal abuse. 

With Zverev gone, his second-round opponent, Peter Gojowczyk, automatically advanced to the quarterfinals. 

“It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behavior during and after the doubles match yesterday,” Zverev said in a statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday. “I have privately…