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Fans online doubled down on criticism for Alexander Zverev after he faced a heckler's "wife-beater" accusation at the Bavarian International in Munich. The German, however, did not let the distraction affect him as he got past Tallon Griekspoor to advance into the semifinals.
On Friday, April 18, top seed Zverev took on Griekspoor in the quarterfinal of the Bavarian International. The Dutchman bagged the first set, and at a crucial moment in the second, when the game was tied at 5-5, the World No. 3 was heckled by the crowd while serving.
"Let's go, you f**king wife-beater," the fan screamed (translated from German).
The comment was made in response to past abuse accusations from his ex-girlfriends, Brenda Patea and Olga Sharypova.
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The heckling continued, and Zverev was frustrated to the point that he asked chair umpire Fergus Murphy to remove the fan from the court.
"Fergus, Fergus, please kick him out. I don't want to repeat it. It's the same guy who did the same thing before my second serve once," Alexander Zverev said.
A video of the incident was shared on Reddit, and fans online had strong reactions, with many doubling down on the criticism of the German.
"Crazy it’s happening in his home country too," one fan wrote.
"That should happen in all of his matches. It’s what he deserves," another fan wrote.
"Honestly, I think people calling him out during games is much more satisfying to see than a Zverev loss. Public shaming is on a completely different level than merely losing a match," a third fan wrote.
Here are some more fan reactions to Alexander Zverev being heckled during his Munich quarterfinal.
"After the Australian Open, I was hoping that crowds would shout about it in every Zverev match," one fan commented.
"Zverev you are the one who deserves to be kicked out yo 😮💨" another fan wrote.
"You live with the consequences of your actions," yet another fan wrote.
Even though the heckling was at a crucial stage in the match, Zverev made it through with a 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-4 win.
Alexander Zverev faced similar heckling in the Australian Open 2025 final
Alexander Zverev faced both sporting disappointment and public scrutiny during the 2025 Australian Open. In his third Grand Slam final appearance, he was defeated by Jannik Sinner with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3, marking his third consecutive Grand Slam final loss.
During the trophy ceremony, a spectator interrupted Zverev's speech by shouting:
"Australia believes Olya and Brenda"
They referenced domestic abuse allegations made by Zverev's former partners, Olga Sharypova and Brenda Patea.
Sharypova publicly accused Zverev of abuse in 2020. Patea brought forward similar allegations in 2023, leading to an out-of-court settlement in 2024. Zverev has consistently denied all allegations.
In on-court terms, the World No. 3 will next take on Fabian Marozsan in the semifinal of the Bavarian International. The winner of their semifinal will face the winner of Ben Shelton vs. Francisco Cerundolo in the final.
