Alexander Zverev reveals how he truly feels about ‘wife-beater’ heckle in Munich, calls out ‘idiots’ in crowds

Alexander Zverev has spoken candidly about a disturbing incident during his match at the BMW Open in Munich, where a fan heckled him with a vile remark from the stands. The heckle—translated from German—was, “Let’s go, you wife-beater.”

Despite the offensive comment, Zverev took the high road, choosing to focus on the overall support he received from the crowd throughout the tournament.

“To be honest, the crowd in Munich was amazing,” Zverev said. “In the quarterfinal match against [Tallon] Griekspoor, I was mentally out of it, and it was the crowd that brought me back. I ended up winning that match because of them, so I really can’t complain.”

However, the 26-year-old didn’t shy away from addressing the bigger issue of toxic fan behavior in sports.

“There are always going to be one or two idiots—everywhere. You see it in football with racism, and in tennis, it can come in different forms. Unfortunately, it’s just part of sport sometimes,” he added.

Zverev on Madrid Open: “A Special Place”

Looking ahead, Zverev expressed excitement about returning to the Madrid Open—a tournament where he’s historically found success.

“Madrid is one of my favorite tournaments,” Zverev said. “The center court is my favorite court. I’ve only lost there twice in my career. It’s a special place for me, and I’ve had a lot of success there.”

The German star hopes to build on past performances in the Spanish capital by continuing his run of strong results.

“I’m aiming to keep that momentum going, win big matches, and go far again this year.”