WATCH: Chaos Unfolds at Canadian Open as US Open Finalist’s Gesture to Heckler Turns Heads

Remember how the 24-time slam king Novak Djokovic once handled an annoying heckler? During his 2024 Australian Open campaign, in the second round, a fan was repeatedly distracting him. But the Serbian’s fitting response shut them down and how. After winning the match, he revealed during the on-court interview, “When you confront somebody, unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the courage to come down … if you’re such a tough man, tough guy, come down and tell it to my face, and let’s have a discussion about it.” Seems like Alexander Zverev channeled the same energy on Monday night as he gave the most brutal and fitting response to a heckler at the Canadian Open.

At the Centre Court, the German ATP pro bested defending Toronto champion Alexei Popyrin in a cliffhanger. After the two-hour-forty-two-minute marathon battle, the World No.3 entered the semis with a score line of 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. He was struggling initially in the first set but made a stunning return in the remaining two. More than anything, it was a statement win for Zverev.

The German star had to face an unwanted distraction on the court while fighting it out against Popyrin. In the final set, someone in the crowd was trying to irritate him whenever he was preparing to serve. And while the perpetrator was eventually escorted out of the arena, Zverev made sure that his response to the heckling was recorded for posterity. The moment he sealed the match against the Aussie pro, Zverev simply turned back where the heckler had been sitting and started waving his right hand at them, saying “Bye Bye”.

This story is developing…