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Why Alexander Zverev was once booed by the crowd during an interview after beating Roger Federer at the ATP Finals

Alexander Zverev’s 2018 ATP Finals victory in London marked his first triumph at the year-end tournament, a feat he repeated in 2021. En route to the title, the German defeated two of tennis’s biggest names, including Roger Federer in a dramatic semifinal.

The match hinged on a controversial second-set tiebreak, where a ball boy dropped a ball during play. Zverev paused the point, invoking the rules for a let, but the pro-Federer crowd at the O2 Arena reacted with boos during his post-match interview, unaware of the incident’s specifics.

Despite the backlash, Zverev won the tiebreak and the match, 7-5, 7-6, securing his path to the final. Federer later acknowledged the call’s difficulty, noting the ambiguity in real-time decisions, while Zverev downplayed the crowd’s reaction, emphasizing sportsmanship over controversy.

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