Tennis star confronts rival in fiery scenes during Hamburg Open final

A French tennis star has unleashed on his rival in heated scenes that resulted in an umpire being forced to step in and separate the two.

Tennis stars Arthur Fils and Alexander Zverev had to be separated after an angry clash between them in the Hamburg Open.

German Zverev, 27, was looking to secure back-to-back titles on home turf when facing the 20-year-old Frenchman, The Sun reports.

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Fils took the first set before his rival fought back to claim one, leading to a tense deciding set.

The score was tied at 5-5 when Fils unleashed a controversial underarm serve that enraged his opponent.

Even though the serve was out, the home crowd booed the youngster.

However, that did not stop him from winning the game, which further enraged Zverev.

Zverev allegedly accused his foe of having “no respect” during the changeover.

And that led to the umpire jumping in to try and separate the two men.

The boos aimed at Fils continued, who seemed undeterred as he gestured with his finger towards his ear.

He then shrugged and started shaking his head, something that enraged the partisan crown even further.

Fils then won the tiebreak and secured his first ATP 500 level title with a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-1) victory.

But the trouble was still not over.

Following Fils’ winning point, he and Zverev hardly made eye contact as they shook hands.

Zverev was then spotted angrily muttering and then arguing with the umpire.

Fortunately a bit of bubbly seemed to help the situation as Zverev sprayed Fils with champagne as they smiled once the Frenchman received his trophy.

“I think that I did everything to win this match,” Fils said.

“I got cramps at 5-5 in the third.

“I’m cramping, trying underarm serves because I cannot serve.”

Fils confronts Zverev.

Zverev didn’t want to stick around after losing.

However, it is not the first time in recent times that the slightly hot-headed and abrasive Zverev has hit the headlines.

Earlier this month, he was involved in an angry row with Taylor Fritz and a clash with the American’s girlfriend, Morgan Riddle.

He claimed that members of Fritz’s box had gone “over the top”.

The star said: “His team is extremely respectful. I think his coach, his physio, also his second coach, they’re extremely respectful.

“I think there’s some other people that maybe are in the box that are not maybe from the tennis world, that are not maybe from particularly watching every single match. They were a bit over the top.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Tennis star confronts rival in fiery scenes during Hamburg Open final