Alexander Zverev was heckled over domestic abuse allegations during his speech after losing the 2025 Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner.
The German No.2 was hoping to land his maiden Grand Slam title but it was Italian world No.1 Sinner who came out on top in Sunday’s showdown.
Awkward scenes unfolded after the match as Zverev stepped up to the microphone for his runner-up interview on the court at Rod Laver Avera.
Before Zverev could speak, one woman in the crowd at Melbourne Park loudly shouted out three times: ‘Australia believes Olya and Brenda!’
The comments were in reference to Zverev’s two former partners who accused him of domestic violence, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea.
Zverev, who has always denied the allegations from both women, reached an out-of-court settlement with Patea last year.
Sharypova did not take legal action but Zverev escaped punishment after a 15-month, ATP-commissioned probe due to insufficient evidence.
Reacting to the incident on Reddit, one tennis fan, @radiobjork, declared the Australian Open heckler as the ‘hero of the tournament’.
‘Glad that not everyone agrees with how his abuse of women has been swept under the carpet,’ another tennis fan, @Chromatic_Chameleon, said.
‘That is VERY brave,’ @PurpleCoffinMan posted. ‘I feel like she’s going to get banned for that but people are talking at least.’
Zverev, meanwhile, ignored the heckler and managed to win over a lot of fans sat inside Rod Laver Arena with his post-final speech.
The 27-year-old admitted it ‘sucked’ to lose the final but paid a classy tribute to Sinner and then thanked the crowd for their ‘amazing’ support.
‘You know, you guys pushed me through to the final,’ Zverev said. ‘I really did think I had a chance, but here I am. You know, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to lift a trophy, but I’ll keep coming back, keep trying, and I’ll see you guys all next year. Thank you.’