Alexander Zverev was left in disbelief as he fumed at the umpire over a decisive call during his victory over Hugo Gaston at the Hamburg Open. Zverev, the defending champion, fought back to beat his French rival in three sets after going behind thanks to a controversial decision.
During the final point of the first set, Zverev was convinced the ball bounced twice on Gaston’s side of the net before his opponent hit a forehand winner. The 27-year-old could not believe the umpire had missed what he thought was an obvious call and made his feelings crystal clear.
Zverev stretched his arms out in disbelief and directed his fury at the umpire before turning to Gaston, who insisted the ball had only bounced once. His outburst was met with boos and whistles from the crowd, with Zverev eventually giving up and returning to his chair.
He went on to win the next two sets to secure a 4-6 6-2 7-5 victory but was quick to question why video reviews were not being used in his post-match interview. The technology was successfully implemented at the United Cup, with Zverev suggesting it was ‘loved’ by players.
Reflecting on how the first set ended, he told Sky Sports: “It’s a mistake from the umpire but the umpire is also a human being and allowed to make mistakes. For me, the bigger question is that we have the technology to review these kinds of things.
“We tried it out at the United Cup and all the players loved it, you know, the video review. I’m not sure why we are not using it on tour yet. These kinds of situations can cost a player the match and it cost me the set today, which is very unfortunate.
“As I said, it’s not about the umpire. The umpire today, she’s very experienced and a very good umpire as well. Everybody has bad days and maybe today was one of them for her, which is okay. But again, on the tour I think we should do more and use the technology that we have.”
Zverev will continue his Hamburg Open campaign against Zhang Zhizhen in the quarter-finals on Friday. He will be aiming to go all the way for the second year in a row, having beaten Laslo Djere in straight sets to win the 2023 edition of the tournament.
