US Open athletes playing into the early hours, raucous New Yorkers and booze has always made for an explosive Arthur Ashe atmosphere with alleged Hitler slur at Alexander Zverev just the latest crowd incident in its history

Tennis’s drive to keep its athletes playing into the early hours, sultry weather, raucous New Yorkers and lots of booze can make for an explosive combination, as Flushing Meadows has previously discovered.

Today, US Open leaders went through the latest public incident, in which a fan was sent off for yelling “Deutschland Uber Alles” at Alex Zverev during his fourth-round marathon win over Italy’s Jannik Sinner that erupted Tuesday morning.

The fan, who was seated in first-class seats costing hundreds of dollars, was escorted out by security after baring the German player, who understandably objected to words that have such historical associations.

Zverev is not seen by some fans as the most likeable figure, but clearly a line has been crossed. James Keothavong – brother of former British player Anne and one of the world’s most experienced referees – immediately intervened to ensure that the perpetrator was identified.

On Tuesday morning, tournament officials were trying to determine whether the New York Police Department had become involved on an official level, at a time past midnight, when the crowd was thinning out, during what had been a hot and humid Labor Day Bank Holiday.

Arthur Ashe Stadium is the world’s largest purpose-built tennis arena, seating over 22,000 and no stranger to a feverish atmosphere. Things take on a different dimension under light, and some of the most charged atmospheres of recent years have developed in matches involving Serena Williams, especially at times when she lost her cool in the heat of battle.

However, ejections are relatively rare and usually involve drunks causing a nuisance to others. Tournament veterans had trouble recalling a similar incident to the slur the German protagonist objected to, informing Keothavong that he heard what he described as “the most famous Hitler phrase.”

The Arthur Ashe – named after the great humanitarian and former champion – was opened in 1997 to replace the old Louis Armstrong Stadium, which had become famous for taking on a different character after nightfall.

In 1989, Frenchman Yannick Noah was involved in a particularly tough match against Israeli Amos Mansdorf, after which he initially refused to shake hands with his opponent. There were accusations of insults exchanged between their support boxes and then Noah expressed suspicion that the hugely hostile reaction from the public may have been related to his skin color and the nationality of his opponent.

Two years later, there was the most boisterous atmosphere of all when 39-year-old Jimmy Connors made his way to the semi-finals in tears. One of his opponents during that run was Dutchman Paul Haarhuis, who was also on the field for one of the greatest Wimbledon events of the modern era when he played Tim Henman in a Middle Sunday epic. He described his experience at Flushing Meadows as “much more chilling” than the one at SW19.

Arthur Ashe’s history is still marked by players getting excited by the crowd. Last week, another German player, Laura Siegemund, lamented the reception she received during her narrow loss to Coco Gauff.

In 2019, combative Russian Daniil Medvedev gave his middle finger to the meeting after winning against a hostile backdrop: “I want you all to know when you sleep tonight that I won because of you,” he beamed over the microphone afterwards. them.

So it will never be exactly Center Court, where the loudest noise during points is often the annoying popping of a champagne bottle.

Not that this is an excuse for intolerable insults of any kind, but when players are asked to compete late into the night in front of audiences – stepped up to the swings by music and camera movement – ​​and who seem capable of driving the stratospheric prices of alcohol to absorb in the sale, incidents may occur.