German player Alexander Zverev was kicked out of the US Open after a fan said the fan “used Hitler’s most famous phrase in this world” during his match against Jannik Sinner earlier on Tuesday.

A USTA spokeswoman said in a statement: “A negative opinion was directed at Zverev. “The fan was separated and escorted from the stadium.”

In the marathon fourth-round match between Zverev and Sinner, the 26-year-old paused before serving and pointed to umpire James Keotavong, saying: “It’s unacceptable.” This is unbelievable.”

Keotavong immediately turned to the stands and asked a fan to identify himself before announcing to the fans, “Please be fair and respect the players.” Clips circulated on social media show the crowd cheering as a security guard is escorted from the stage.

Zverev broke from 4-6 down in the fourth set and came back 6-3 in the fifth set to win the longest match at the 2023 US Open, lasting four hours and 41 minutes.

“He started singing the Hitler anthem of his time,” Zverev later told reporters of the incident with the fan. “It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much.

“I like it when the fans shout. I like it when the fans are emotional. But I think I’m German and I’m not really proud of this story, it’s not really a big thing to do, and I think he was sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard. So I think it’s bad on my part if I don’t respond.

Zverev added, “To be honest, it’s his fault that he didn’t see the last two sets of that match.”

(Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)