Alexander Zverev’s Australian Open heckler received an instant punishment

Kevin Palmer
Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open
Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley has revealed the woman who heckled Alexander Zverev after he lost the Australian Open final was removed from the grounds following her intervention.

An emotional Zverev was preparing to make a concession speech to the packed crowd after he was well beaten by world No 1 Jannik Sinner in a one-sided final.

The fan in the crowd shouted loudly and clearly: “Australia believes Olya and Brenda.”

She was referencing domestic abuse allegation made against Zverev, first in 2020 by Olga Sharypova (also known as Olya) and then in 2023 by Brenda Patea, who has a daughter with the world No 2.

Sharypova did not press charges and the the ATP Tour opted not to take any action against Zverev after a two-year investigation.

The Patea went to court and last June and Zverev agreed to pay €200,000 in a settlement agreement, while still strenuously denying both sets of claims.

Zverev again dismissed a question about the domestic abuse allegations in his press conference, with Tiley suggesting the screams from the stands were not welcome.

“As far as the individuals shouting things during the matches, we’ve said this before: if anyone comes on site and tries to be disruptive and tries to make a point, they’re not welcome,” Tiley told Melbourne radio station 3AW.

“We don’t want them. They ruin it for everyone else. And similarly that (Zverev incident) last night, that incident just—it ruined this for everyone, if someone’s going to behave like that. So they can stay away. And if they come and do that, we’ll remove them.”

When asked whether Zverev’s heckler was removed he said: “Yes, she was removed from the site and rightfully so, because it’s a breach of the positive enjoyment for the rest of the fans.”

The Australian Open likes to be known as ‘The Happy Slam’, but too many fans overstepped the mark in this year’s tournament.

Danielle Collins faced a hostile crowd in the first week of an event that was marred by umpires constantly pleading with fans to stay quiet before and during points.

Ten-time champion Novak Djokovic was then bizarrely booed off court after he was forced to quit his semi-final against Zverev due to injury, with some calling for an alcohol ban on site to try and keep spectators under control.

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Tiley insisted he is not preparing to bring in big changes to the tournament, as he insisted ‘evictions’ from the grounds have not risen substantially despite the huge slide in fan behaviour.

“I fully expect controversies,” he told AAP. “With one million people coming through the gate for over three weeks, if there’s nothing, that would be a bit strange.

“There’s always going to be one or two that heckle or say something. The same thing last year and the year before.

“But it’s not like the number of evictions we’ve have gone crazy high. Evictions have been on par with previous years, or fewer.

“And our officials are instructed very clearly that, if they get a call for any disruption of play, they radio in and security go to the people.

“There’s always going to be one or two people that make it unpleasant for others. That’s human behaviour.

“So whatever people say the word ‘bogan’ or that it’s not a ‘Happy Slam’, they’re definitely not here.

“I want to look more at like the number of fans who come through the gate and the energy and the enjoyment that they’re having is at an all-time high.

“So we’re not going to design an event where we’re going to keep people silent because then the next question is going to be, ‘Why aren’t people enjoying it?’

“The way I assess the tournament is to listen to the fan feedback, listen to the player feedback and listen to our team’s feedback — and again it’s all been exceptional,” he said.

“So from the fans’ point of view, yes, we’ve had a record crowd through the gates.

“We don’t focus on it, we focus on the quality of the experience and all our customer satisfaction scores are equal or better than they were last year.

“And on the players’ side, again if it’s any indication, they thank us publicly, they thank us privately and the number of notes I have or emails or WhatsApp messages saying ‘Thank you again’, then this is by far the best tournament.”

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