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Alexander Zverev was handed a suspended sentence on Monday in reaction to his violent outburst and disqualification in Acapulco last month, following Miro Batoev, the ATP’s Senior Vice President of Rules and Competition, review of the incident.
If the conditions are not met, the penalties will be invoked after any appeal process is exhausted ATP Statement
The 24-year-old German Olympic champion was banned for eight weeks and fined an additional $25,000 following his Mexico Open meltdown.
The statement said a review of Zverev’s conduct found he had committed “aggravated behaviour” under the ATP’s player conduct rules.
The world number three had already been fined $40,000 for verbal abuse and unsportsmanlike conduct.
However, both the ban and additional $25,000 fine will be suspended provided Zverev does not incur a further code violation in the 12-month period ending February 22, 2023.
“If the conditions are met, the penalties will be formally dismissed following the completion of the probation period,” the ATP statement said.
“If the conditions are not met, the penalties will be invoked after any appeal process is exhausted.”
Last month Zverev, the defending chapion, shocked the tennis world during the Mexico Open in Acapulco when he not only smashed his racket several times against umpire Alessandro Germani’s chair but then directed a volley of abuse at the official after losing a doubles match all of which earned him disqualification from the event.
Zverev issued a public apology following his disqualification, saying his behaviour had been “unacceptable.”
“It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behaviour during and after the doubles match yesterday,” Zverev wrote.
“I have privately apologised to the chair umpire because my outburst towards him was wrong and unacceptable.”
However, the tennis world has not been impressed by the ATP’s punishment with many declaring it wasn’t harsh enough and shameful.
The biggest penalty in men’s tennis to date was handed down to Australian Nick Kyrgios in 2019 for verbally abusing a chair umpire and smashing two rackets. After an initial fine of $113,000, he was given a suspended ban of 16 weeks and an additional fine of $25,000 following an ATP investigation.
Italy’s Fabio Fognini was also provisionally suspended for two grand slam tournaments and fined $96,000 following the 2017 US Open where he had directed vulgar language toward Swedish chair umpire Louise Engzell during his first-round loss.