"Even without the allegation, Alexander Zverev is hard to like" - Fans react to World No. 6's frosty handshake after losing to Daniel Altmaier

Alexander Zverev's cold handshake with compatriot Daniel Altmaier after his recent first-round defeat at the Mexican Open has not sat well with fans.

Zverev, who is accused of domestic abuse by two of his ex-girlfriends, has already been under heavy criticism from the tennis fraternity for some time now. A recent episode of the Netflix documentary Break Point where the German criticized Daniil Medvedev for his unsportsmanly conduct added fuel to the fire.

The German entered Acapulco as the number one seed and faced fellow countryman Altmaier in the first round. After a topsy-turvy battle, the 25-year-old came through after three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, dealing a huge upset to the World No. 6. Zverev's demeanor towards his compatriot after the match was deemed cold by the tennis fraternity.

Fans took to social media to express their disappointment towards the former World No. 2's cold handshake with Altmaier. One fan congratulated Altmaier before calling Zverev a sore loser and saying that it was hard to like the German even without the multiple allegations currently against him.

"Great work Altmaier! Continuing his reputation as the one who beats the top 10, I see. Zverev is such a sore loser, even without the allegation he’s hard to like," they wrote on Reddit.

Comment byu/iamlordzen from discussion intennis

Another fan alluded to Zverev's Break Point episode where he spoke about the importance of sportsmanship and rhetorically asked where Netflix was during this incident in Acapulco.

"Where's netflix to record the prince of sportsmanship?," they wrote on X.

Here are some other reactions from the fans on the incident:

Comment byu/iamlordzen from discussion intennis

Comment byu/iamlordzen from discussion intennis

Alexander Zverev will comepete in Indian Wells

Alexander Zverev at the 2023 Indian Wells

Alexander Zverev is scheduled to compete at the Indian Wells Open next, taking place from March 9-18 in Indian Wells, California.

The German has had a phenomenal start to the 2024 season and looks to be back to his best level after suffering from an ankle injury. Zverev kicked off his 2024 season by leading Team Germany to the title at the United Cup. He then reached the semi-finals finals of the Australian Open defeating the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie en route.

Zverev also reached the semifinals at the Los Cabos Open, where he lost to eventual champion Jordan Thompson 5-7, 6-4. (2)6-7. After experiencing a slight hiccup at the Mexican Open, the World No. 6 will look to bounce back at Indian Wells.

Alexander Zverev made it to the fourth round at the ATP 1000 event last year, where he was defeated by longtime rival Daniil Medvedev (5)6-7, 7-6(5), 7-5 after three hours and 16 minutes.