Tennis fans have been hotly debating a contentious incident early on in Novak Djokovic’s Beijing Open clash with Alexander Zverev.
In the second game of the match, Zverev‘s serve was well returned by Djokovic before the German hooked a forehand into the tramlines.
The top seed complained to umpire Adel Nour, who then announced to the crowd that the 29-year-old had requested a video review to see if a courtside LED advertising board changed during the point.
Zverev’s review was successful, leading the umpire to call a let and replay the point. This baffled Djokovic, who said this had to be “one of the most stupid change of rules that I’ve heard in my life“.
On social media, the incident was described as a “huge controversy”, with many debating what should have happened. Some argued that Djokovic had every right to feel aggrieved as it was the shot after the LED board change, while others felt Zverev was at liberty to query it to the umpire.
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Zverev was accused by one tennis fan of “always whining”, with another tweeting that Djokovic was “absolutely right” to complain about what happened.
One person wrote, “This was nuts,” and another put, “Zverev is the first player in tennis history to get bothered by a side fence.”
On the flip side, some felt Zverev did “nothing wrong”, with one saying, “He didn’t stop play because he wasn’t sure it was enough for a replay. After he went to the umpire and asked, ‘Can I ask for the video review in situations like after the point ended?’ The umpire said yes, so he challenged. Nothing wrong.”
Others felt neither player did anything wrong, rather, it was the umpire’s fault for not stopping the point instantly. Moreover, some argued this was the “only correct decision” and it wasn’t Zverev’s fault about the LED lights.
Zverev went on to win the first set 6-4 but 39-year-old Djokovic won the second set by the same scoreline to force a decider. If the Serbian loses this match, he will likely bring up the incident again to the media.
This is the 15th meeting between the two players, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head 9-5. The veteran, who has a 7-4 hard court record against Zverev, won their last meeting back at the 2025 French Open in four sets.
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