"Disgusting, f**k Alexander Zverev";"Sore loser" - Fans outraged by German's frosty handshake with Arthur Fils after heated dispute in Hamburg final

Alexander Zverev's behavior was not at its best against young Frenchman Arthur Finals during the pair's 2024 Hamburg Open final clash on Sunday, July 21. On more than one occasion, the German misbehaved with the Frenchman, who eventually clinched his second ATP Tour title.

The final in Hamburg went to a third and deciding set after Fils won the first set 6-3 and defending champion Zverev squared things up by winning the second set by the same margin. However, things took a controversial turn in the decider. With the score at 5-5, Zverev had a break point when Fils attempted an underarm serve.

The Frenchman's serve was initially ruled in, but the decision was later reversed following protests from Zverev. However, the audacity of the 20-year-old seemed to infuriate the German. The pair soon entered into a heated exchange in close proximity, with the chair umpire having to step in to keep things from spiraling out of control.

Eventually, Fils went on to clinch the decider and the title after dominating the tiebreak [7-6(1)]. At this point, Zverev walked up to the Frenchman at the net, and barely seemed to look him in the eye when he offered the frostiest of handshakes. Fils accepted the handshake and moved on with his celebrations.

Several fans on X (formerly Twitter) criticized Alexander Zverev for his actions.

"Zverev is disgusting. Never seen a player take it up to his opponent for trying to challenge a call that would hurt him. The opponent is just trying to win the match. Zverev takes it personally and tries to bully him because he’s playing at home. F**k this guy," a fan wrote.

"There is no tennis player or even athlete I dislike more than Zverev . He annoys me to the core," another fan commented.

"Zverev picking a fight with Fils and then acting like he didn’t say anything. I honestly can’t stand that disgusting racist abuser," another fan chimed in.

Another set of fans discussed how such behavior had become commonplace for Alexander Zverev and how he was not treated the same way by the top players when he himself was a youngster.

"Every tiny little thing Alexander Zverev does on a tennis court just screams unlikable. The man's a walking PR disaster," wrote a fan.

"Imagine giving a 20 year old upcoming player a frosty handshake for an underarm serve that is within the rules! What a sore loser. This is not how he was treated by the big 3 and other top players when he came on tour at Fils’ age. Highly unlikable player. Glad Fils ended him," commented another fan.

"Zverev is now feeling the pressure of being surpassed by the next gen. First, he lost the US Open final to Thiem after being 2-0 up then folded against Alcaraz in the RG and now to Fils who is even a year younger than Alcaraz. Zverev know that the door is closing fast for him," another fan weighed in.

"When I was serving, I was cramping" - Arthur Fils on his decision to hit an underarm serve against Alexander Zverev

Arthur Fils (Source: Getty)

It wasn't just Alexander Zverev who did not take kindly to Fils' audacious underarm serve. The crowd too, disapproved of the Frenchman's attempt at it, and proceeded to boo him vociferously amid controversy engulfing the on-court proceedings. In his post-match on-court interview, Fils was asked about his thoughts on his underarm serve attempt, along with the crowd's reaction to it.

The 20-year-old explained that he had started to experience cramps by the time he hit the underarm serve. Fils also expressed that he had no concern for the crowd's behavior as he was solely focused on winning.

"I'm really happy about how I played. I did everything for winning this match. I got cramps, when I was serving I was cramping. I was trying underarm serves because I cannot serve. The crowd took it badly but I don't care, I'm winning and that's it," Fils said.

Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fils will both next turn their attentions to the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. The German will enter the tournament as the defending champion while the Frenchman will make his debut.