Arthur Fils and Alexander Zverev clashed in a thrilling and dramatic final of the Hamburg European Open on Sunday.
World number 4 Zverev, who was born in the German city, took on the 20-year-old Frenchman in hopes of a second straight title on home soil.
Fils won the first set before Zverev fought back, but the turning point came in the deciding set.
With the score at 5-5 and Fils a break point behind, he threw a controversial underarm serve, which infuriated Zverev.
The service was not good, but Fils was booed by the crowd and eventually won the game, which did not dampen Zverev’s anger.
Arthur Fils and Alexander Zverev clashed in a dramatic final of the Hamburg European Open
The conflict arose when Fils performed an underarm serve at a crucial moment in the match
Zverev was furious at the move, but Fils confronted the German at the change
During the substitution, Fils confronted Zverev, with the German reportedly saying “no respect” towards his opponent, forcing the referee to step in and separate the two players.
The booing towards Fils started again. The Frenchman only pointed to his ear, but then shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. This only made the tempers more heated.
Fils eventually won the tiebreak and claimed his first ATP 500 title with a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1) victory. However, the tension was still there.
After Fils’ winning point, the two shook hands very coolly at the net, with Zverev barely making eye contact with his opponent. He then mumbled something to himself and began arguing with the referee.
Eventually, calm seemed to be restored when Zverev sprayed Fils with champagne and poured the drink into his opponent’s mouth.
They exchanged smiles as the trophy was handed over to the Frenchman, who will be one of the biggest local talents at the Paris Olympics.
Fils defended his position and actions during a post-match speech.
“I think I did everything I could to win this match,” he said. “I got a cramp at 5-5 in the third.
Fils was booed by the crowd, but the 20-year-old made them even angrier with his reaction
The hot-headed and aggressive Zverev was furious about his opponent’s actions on Sunday
‘I have a cramp and I’m trying to serve under my arm, because serving isn’t possible.’
However, it is not the first time that the hot-tempered and aggressive Zverev has attracted attention.
Earlier this month, the German had an angry exchange with Taylor Fritz and clashed with the American’s girlfriend Morgan Riddle after losing a thrilling five-set match in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Zverev – who was two sets ahead before losing – accused members of Fritz’s box of going “over the top” while Riddle appeared to target the world No. 4, accusing him of abuse both during and after the match. Zverev denies any wrongdoing.
The German said: ‘His team is extremely respectful. I think his coach, his physiotherapist, also his second coach, are extremely respectful.
“I think there are other people in the box who may not be from the tennis world, who may not have watched every match. They were a little bit over the top.”
Meanwhile, Zverev, who was accused in court documents last year of physically assaulting a woman in 2020, agreed to a settlement in the case last month. He agreed to pay Brenda Patea, the mother of his child, $217,820 (£168,679) but was not found guilty of any wrongdoing (Patea publicly identified himself as the victim in the case).
Last October, a Berlin-Tiergarten court handed down a penalty notice and a fine of around $488,000 (£377,907) to Zverev, who denied Patea’s claims of abuse. A month later, he called the notice “complete bulls***”.
Zverev and Fils exchanged an extremely cool handshake at the net at the end of the match
Tensions eventually seemed to calm as the couple posed for photos and partied together
Patea told the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung that Zverev strangled her during an argument. Zverev has also been accused of domestic violence by Olga Sharypova, a fellow tennis player and another ex-girlfriend of his.
Sharypova made the allegations – which Zverev also denied – in 2020. She accused him of hitting her in the face and choking her with a pillow.
The ATP investigated the claims (through an external agency) for 15 months, but ultimately decided not to punish Zverev based on insufficient evidence.
After his settlement in June, Zverev said: ‘I told you from the beginning, I told everyone. I’m glad it’s over. Yeah, nothing more to say.’