In an embarrassing moment for the New York public, Alexander Zverev halts play to demand that a fan be removed from the US Open arena for making an anti-Adolf Hitler remark. Security then escorts the man out.
A racist taunt directed against the German No. 12 seed, Jannik Sinner, spoiled Alexander Zverev’s late-night US Open round of 16 match.
In the wee hours of the morning in New York, Zverev and Sinner were locked in a thrilling fourth-round tie when the former complained to the umpire about something he had heard just before a point.
He just said the most well-known Hitler quote. After hearing a slur from the audience, Zverev, who was born in Hamburg, informed British umpire James Keothavong, It is wrong.
Zverev revealed to a reporter after the game that the purported fan had been chanting the original German National Anthem’s forbidden first line, sometimes known as the anthem of Hitler.
He began to sing the Hitler anthem from the past. The Hamburg native remarked, It was a bit too much; it was ‘Deutschland über alles.’
I adore it when fans are moved. However, I don’t think it’s a fantastic thing to do because I’m German and not very proud of that history, and I think a lot of people heard it because he was sitting in one of the front rows. Thus, he continued, I think it’s horrible from my side if I just don’t react.
Although Alexander Zverev played a fantastic match in New York, it was ruined by an off-court remark he overheard from a spectator there.
The Weimar Republic’s official national anthem, Lied der Deutschen (Song of the Germans), also referred to as Deutschlandlied (Song of Germany), was adopted in 1922.
The first few lines, Germany, Germany above all / above all in the world, however, took on a new significance under Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, who used it to highlight their belief that Germany was superior to all other countries.
West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer asked for the song to be reintroduced as the national anthem in 1952 after World War II.
The third lyric of the hymn, which reads, unity and justice and freedom, for the German fatherland, was utilized in exchange for the Allies’ agreement.
When the umpire learned about the event, he pivoted in his chair and faced the most expensive courtside seats, requesting the offender to identify himself.
As security was brought in to try to address the unpleasant situation, Keothavong addressed the entire audience and asked them to respect the players when no one came clean.
The game went on, and a few minutes later, the cameras returned to the stands to see a middle-aged man being escorted out of the arena to the jubilant cheers of the spectators.
It’s unclear exactly what the man is supposed to have said, or if the man captured on camera by ESPN was the fan who allegedly shouted the offensive thing.
