Alexander Zverev's model girlfriend struggled to watch tennis star's explosive meltdown

dailystar.co.uk:

smashed his racket on the umpire's chair during an explosive meltdown at the Mexican Open on Wednesday (February 23). The World No 3 was booted out of the tournament for 'unsportsmanlike conduct' for his actions, which came after he and partner Marcelo Melo were eliminated in the doubles.Zverev shrieked at umpire Alessandro Germani, calling him a "f***ing idiot" and accusing him of "destroying the whole f***ing match" before violently wrecking his racket inches away from the official's feet.During the fracas, his partner Sophia was pictured in the crowd with her head in her hands.Zverev has since apologised, insisting his behaviour was "wrong and unacceptable"."It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behaviour during and after the doubles match yesterday,” the 24-year-old said in a statement."I have privately apologised to the chair umpire because my outburst towards him was wrong and unacceptable, and I am only disappointed in myself."It just should not have happened and there is no excuse."Do tennis players get a bit of a free pass when it comes to violent outbursts like this?

Let us know what you think in the comments section...In October 2020, Zverev's ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova accused him of physical and emotional abuse - accusations the athlete vehemently denies.Since 2021, Zverev has been dating Sophia Thomalla, a 32-year-old German model who used to go out with former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.Since the glamour couple's relationship became known, she has been travelling to Zverev's tournaments, cheering him on passionately from the sidelines.She's also been posting photos of their time in Mexico together over the last few days on Instagram, though no one will blame her if she stays off.