The spectator allegedly made this statement towards German player Alexander Zverev.
A spectator was ejected from a tennis match at the US Open in New York City early Tuesday after German player Alexander Zverev accused the man of quoting a phrase from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.
The astonishing moment unfolded on Arthur Ashe Court just before 12:15 a.m. ET as Zverev, the No. 12 seed, was serving 2-2 in the fourth set of his match against Italian No. 6 Yannick Siner. Suddenly, Zverev advanced towards chair umpire James. Keuthavong pointed at a fan who was sitting in a section of the stadium.
“He told me Hitler’s most famous phrase,” Zverev told the referee. “He just said the most famous phrase of Hitler in this world. It is unacceptable. This is unbelievable.”
The referee immediately turned around to question the crowd and asked the fan to identify himself.
“Raise your hand,” Keothavong said. “Who said that? Who said that? Who said that? We’re going to get him out.”
Soon after, security officials were called to remove the fan, which spectators seated nearby appeared to have identified. The crowd cheered as security escorted the man out of the arena.
Keothavong made an announcement asking fans to “remain fair and respect the players”.
When asked for comment, a US Tennis Association spokesperson told ABC News: “A fan made an insulting remark towards Alexander Zverev. The fan was identified and escorted off the court.”
Police were not involved, according to a USTA spokesperson.
Zverev eventually went on to defeat Sinner in a five-set match that lasted nearly 4 hours in wet conditions. He will play top seed and defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the quarter-finals.
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