Alexander Zverev has been kicked out of the Mexican Open after hitting the umpire’s chair with his racket during a heated doubles match.
The German player was also heard verbally abusing the umpire in Acapulco, shouting: “F***ing idiot.”
The world No 3 was competing in a doubles match with Brazilian teammate Marcelo Melo, with the pair losing in three sets 6-2 4-6 10-6 to Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.
A statement from the tournament read: “Due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of his doubles match on Tuesday night, Alexander Zverev has been withdrawn from the tournament in Acapulco.”
Zverev had been due to face Peter Gojowczyk in the Round of 16 of the singles tournament on Thursday after beating Jenson Brooksby earlier this week in a match that finished at 4.55am local time.
After shaking hands with Glasspool and Heliovaara at the end of a hard-fought match, the German 24-year-old first approached the umpire’s chair and struck it several times with his racquet.
Having briefly returned towards his seat, Zverev turned again for the umpire, launching into an expletive-laden tirade and again striking the chair.
“You f*****g destroyed the whole f*****g match. The whole f*****g match,” Zverev could be heard shouting.
The Olympic gold medal-winning Zverev had been left particularly aggrieved by a line call in the deciding tie break.
"Look where the ball bounced," Zverev said during the match to the chair umpire.
"It's 8-6 in the tiebreak, look where the ball bounced. For f--k sake, it's your line.
"It's f*****g your line. You f*****g idiot."
Zverev, who is yet to win a Grand Slam, was beaten in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January.
