Fans on social media have accused Alexander Zverev of cheating after he appeared to change his mind during the coin toss before his quarter-final victory over Alex de Minaur.
When the chair umpire asked Zverev which side of the coin he would choose, the German clearly responded ‘ball’.
The coin landed on racket, prompting the umpire to turn to De Minaur to ask whether he wanted to serve or receive in the opening game.
Zverev, however, interjected with: “No, I said racket.” The confused umpire looked in his direction but gave him the choice regardless.
It prompted a strong reaction from some viewers on social media, with @BenLewisMPC writing: “How is Alexander Zverev getting away with club level cheating in the quarter-finals?”
Others jumped to the defence of Zverev including @JamalLababidi6, who said: “Cheating? Ever heard of someone forgetting what they said? I have.
“And he didn’t insist on it, he gave De Minaur the freedom to choose but De Minaur was okay with that because it’s not a big deal as some of the Twitter accounts are making it seem.”
