Alexander Zverev found himself at the center of controversy during his third-round match at the Madrid Open after taking a photo of a ball mark mid-match and receiving a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.
During a tight battle with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Zverev disagreed with an automatic line call that ruled one of his opponent’s shots in. Frustrated, he pleaded with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani to leave his chair and inspect the mark—a practice allowed before the full implementation of electronic line calling across the ATP Tour. However, under current rules, umpires must trust the system and are not permitted to check marks manually.
When his requests were denied, Zverev took matters into his own hands. He retrieved his phone from his bag, photographed the ball mark, and delayed the match, resulting in a code violation.
Despite the incident, Zverev battled back from a set down to win 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(0). Afterward, he posted the photo to his Instagram Story, captioning it:
“Just gonna leave this one here. This was called in. Interesting call.”
The German, a two-time Madrid champion, indicated post-match that he plans to meet with ATP supervisors, insisting there was a “malfunction” with the electronic system.
“I honestly think there was a malfunction at that moment. That’s why I asked the umpire to come down. I’m not crazy—I could see it,” Zverev said.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens now. I hope I don’t get fined because I truly believe I was right.”
Acknowledging that Lahyani followed protocol correctly, Zverev emphasized that his issue was with the system, not the umpire:
“It’s not Mohamed’s fault. If the rules prevent him from coming down, he can’t do anything.”
Zverev now moves into the fourth round, where he will face either Francisco Cerundolo or Francisco Comesana. He will be eager for revenge, having lost to Cerundolo at Madrid last year.
