German tennis star Alexander Zverev is scripting a return to tennis after missing out due to injuries. He has taken to the courts again, and it seems that he picked up from where he left off. Tennis aside, Zverev has always been a little controversial with his statements in the past. But this time, he seems regretful for what he said about his peer, Daniil Medvedev.
The controversy began when Zverev lashed out at Daniil after his loss at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this year. He proved to be more aggressive with his statements than his racket in the post-match interview. Alexander was unhappy because he thought Medvedev was unfair with his play.
The German went on to call Daniil “The most unfair player in the world.” He further added that he took sportsmanship very seriously, while Medvedev did not.
Zverev via sky after the tough loss vs Medvedev about the toiletbreak at 4:3 in the third
“He is one of the most unfair players in the world. I take
fairplay and sportmanship very serious. He does not. He takes a toiletbreak when its not possible anymore.”Quote translated👇 pic.twitter.com/zRqqRni19c
— Jannik Schneider (@schnejan) April 14, 2023
Zverev’s bone of contention was thinking that Daniil was trying to disrupt his rhythm on purpose. He alleged that the former world number one took a bathroom break at a crucial moment in the match. Alexander had a chance to win the match, but Daniil saved two match points to win the encounter 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7).
The saga did not end there, though. Medvedev hit back at Zverev after losing to Holger Rune later that week. Moreover, both players joked about Zverev’s comments as they shook hands.
Medvedev: *mocking Zverev’s handshake with him from last night*
Rune: “You played so unfair”, sarcastically
😭😭🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/o2eSxbnifZ
— Srihari 🇵🇸 (@srihariravi12) April 14, 2023
Alexander Zverev expressed disappointment over his statements
Zverev realized he had gone far with his comments. He admitted that he was sorry for what he had said and that he could have handled it a lot better. However, he did not fully retract his statements about Daniil.
“I’m a bit regretful about how I gave the interview. I really believe that [was about] simply winning the match, not by playing tennis, and that’s something I hate. You can say a lot of things about me, but I never take a medical time out, I never go to the toilet unnecessarily. I don’t make any moves, I don’t do anything like that because I just don’t like it. I hate it when something like that is done, and I find it incredibly unsportsmanlike,” he said (via Tennishead).
Since then, both Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have come a long way. It is now a case of water under the bridge for both players.
What did Zverev say about Medvedev at the ATP Finals?
Zverev has been embroiled in a domestic violence case but participated in the recently concluded ATP Finals in Turin. Zverev and Medvedev have both won the tournament in the past and wanted a repeat of their successful campaigns.
Zverev revealed that he would root for Daniil in the last round-robin match against Carlos Alcaraz. Alexander had lost his own match against Daniil, but it would not stop him from showing his support.
While Daniil Medvedev made it to the semifinals, Alexander Zverev crashed out of the tournament. The year-end championship ended with Novak Djokovic winning the silverware.