Organisers at the Halle Open were forced to issue a statement when fans realised that Alexander Zverev’s match would likely clash with Germany’s next Euros game.
The top-ranked German is playing on home soil this week.
But local fans will be forced to pick between tennis and football when Zverev faces Lorenzo Sonego at the same time as Germany vs Hungary.
Zverev is last on the order of play in Halle on Wednesday, sparking chaos for German tennis fans who want to watch the world No. 4 while Germany play their second group stage game at Euro 2024.
The clash has caused controversy among those who believe Zverev shouldn’t be playing at the same time, and bosses in Halle have now explained why the ATP had no choice but to give the 27-year-old the last match slot of the day.
“#Statement. The ATP has decided to schedule Zverev’s match in consultation with the tournament management because his half of the draw will be played today. The other half of the draw will be played on Thursday,” they wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday.
With Zverev’s half unable to play on Thursday, organisers also explained why he couldn’t have competed earlier on Wednesday. The statement continued: “All other players whose matches are scheduled to play on Centre Court completed their first round earlier than Zverev and were therefore scheduled earlier.
“In addition, Zverev only finished his match yesterday (June 18, 2024) at around 7 p.m. and should be given as adequate a recovery period as possible. In addition, even if it were scheduled as the third match, there would be a possibility that the Zverev match would clash with the match of the German national football team.”
The football is also a talking point at Queen’s, where defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faces home hope Jack Draper on Thursday. Both men’s home nations are playing at the Euros on the same day – England at 5pm and Spain at 8pm UK time.
Alcaraz had already confessed that he will be asking for an earlier match slot so he can support his nation. “I mean, the Euro Cup is every four years. Now is time to watch and support Spain. Yeah, hopefully I will request to play early,” he smiled. And he got his wish, being scheduled as the second match of the day.
Draper wasn’t even aware that England were playing on Thursday but the new British No. 1 said he would catch the game if Alcaraz’s request was granted. “I guess if we are playing early, then that probably suits it. If England are playing at 5, can maybe see how the match goes and go and watch the football. For me, the most important thing is the match,” he said.
