Chris Evert Agrees With Serena Williams’ ‘Double Standards’ As Alexander Zverev Gets Minimal Penalty for His Outburst

Alexander Zverev was withdrawn from Acapulco after his dangerous and almost bizarre outburst at the tournament. After a loss in his round of 16 doubles match, Zverev repeatedly smashed his racquet on the umpire’s chair. He also verbally abused him.

While this action itself drew an onslaught of criticism, the punishment that the ATP has deemed fit has also seen its fair share of scrutiny. Serena Williams had opened up about the same and now, former champion Chris Evert has also come out in support of Williams’ perspective.

As a consequence of his actions, ATP initially gave Alexander Zverev an eight-week suspended ban and a fine of $40,000. However, afterwards, they further reviewed the case and an additional $25,000 fine. He also has apologized about the incident but that is not enough for some people in the tennis fraternity.

He is also gearing up to participate at Indian Wells in both the singles and the doubles events. This was another cause of controversy for the German because many people in the tennis fraternity thought that he deserved a longer ban and stricter repercussions. In light of the fact that the umpire could really have gotten hurt, many believe that this punishment is not enough.

Also read: ‘They Have Every Right to Ban Me’ – Alexander Zverev Speaks About His Punishment by the ATP

Evert agrees with Serena Williams and thinks that Alexander Zverev’s punishment is too lenient

Serena Williams recently commented that she would definitely have faced a much harsher punishment had she done it. 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert supported what Williams was trying to say.

“I wouldn’t go as far as saying she would go to jail but I think she has a point and I think that definitely, her consequences would have been far stricter than Zverev’s,” Evert said.

Speaking candidly, she told Eurosport what she truly felt about the whole incident. Even though she observed that in her interactions with the German World No 3 had always been courteous and respectful.

“I am not here to sit back and make any judgments on Zverev as far as his behavior or him as a person. That punishment or that consequence to me is too lenient. He should have been out for months. And that’s all I’m going to say about it,” she added. Evert said that this discrimination in terms of treatment was because of the two different regulatory bodies for men and women.

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