"Me being German and not really proud of that history, not a great thing to do": Zverev clarifies why he stopped to get fan kicked out at US Open

Germany’s tennis star Alexander Zverev has stated that he is not proud of the country’s past after a fan was kicked out of the arena of the US Open for signing a Nazi anthem.

The 26-year-old is currently taking part in the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year where he booked his place in the quarterfinal after defeating Italy’s Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Monday.

During the match, Zverev stopped the play and complained to the chair umpire about a particular fan who was kicked out of the arena.

The world number 12, while talking about the incident after the match, revealed that the fan sang the anthem of Hitler and he felt obliged to inform the chair umpire because he is not proud of the country’s past.

"He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day,” he said. “It was 'Deutschland über alles' and it was a bit too much. I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though. I don't mind it. I love when fans are loud. I love when fans are emotional.

“But I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it's not really a great thing to do, and I think him sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard it. So if I just don't react, I think it's bad from my side.”

That result now sets up a mouthwatering clash in the quarterfinal of the US Open between the current world number one Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Zverev.

Both players have faced off five times in professional tennis where surprisingly, Zverev has a superior record with three wins to his name.