On a day of the 2022 Mexican Tennis Open marked by Alexander Zverev’s aggression against a chair umpire, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal considered that the expulsion of the German tennis player from the tournament was deserved and that the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) acted in a manner adequate.
“I have a good relationship with Alexander, but in the end I think he deserves the sanction. He can’t act this way, I think he is aware of it,” Nadal said at a news conference on Wednesday after beating American Stefan Kozlov in the second round.
Nadal considered that Zverev’s aggressive attitude with the racket hits to the judge’s chair and the claims after the defeat of his match on Tuesday in the doubles tournament “is an exception, it is not something that ‘Sascha’ is used to doing”.
Likewise, ‘la Fiera de Manacor’ lamented the impact of Zverev’s actions as a public figure and its potential effect on a global level.
“Unfortunately, yesterday’s image of Alexander is in the world and with social networks everything runs like wildfire, in the end there are millions of children who are developing their attitude and we must show a minimum of respect and try to be an example”, Nadal said.
Nadal also explained his personal position in the face of this type of demonstration on the tennis courts: “I understand the frustration, I understand that in a moment a racket can be broken by an outburst; I do not criticize it more than necessary, but I do not like it because I have been educated in another way.
Rafa was also aligned with the decision of the ATP to have expelled Alexander; he considered that an immediate sanction could be exemplary for all tennis players on the circuit.
“It is logical that the organization that governs our sport makes itself respected and respects the chair umpires and the sport in general. You have to stop that kind of attitudes that lately are becoming a little more fashionable. In the end, I hope that this will serve as a lesson for him and for other young people who lose their nerve a little bit on the court”, explained the 35-year-old tennis player.
The Spaniard, number 5 in the world, hopes that the sanction for the German (3/ATP) will not be “very severe”, he trusted that he learned his lesson after reading his apologies and said that “we must forgive him”.
“I have read your statement and I think it reflects everything very well; For me it is a positive step forward that he recognizes it, that he apologizes and that he thinks that this will help him not to do it again, ”said Nadal.
The Spanish tennis player summed up that, “as a sports lover I understand that actions like this cannot be allowed; sport has to maintain positive values”.
Position of the organizers
For his part, Raúl Zurutuza, general director of the Mexican Open, stressed that the decision to expel Zverev fell exclusively on the ATP and not on the organizers of the Acapulco tournament.
“The regulation is dictated by the ATP,” Zurutuza said at a press conference and explained that “the supervisor is the one who makes the final decision. We abide by what they decide.”
Zurutuza commented that he had an approach with Zverev who has been closely linked to the recent history of the tournament, in fact he was the defending champion.
“His reaction was very sad and we must assume the consequence of the acts. I told him that we were very sorry for what happened and we reiterated that this is his home, he has been incredibly supportive of the tournament since he began his career and now it’s our turn to support someone who had a very bad time, “said Zurutuza. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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