Remember how the 24-time slam king Novak Djokovic once handled an annoying heckler? During his 2024 Australian Open campaign, in the second round, a fan was repeatedly distracting him. But the Serbian’s fitting response shut them down and how. After winning the match, he revealed during the on-court interview, “When you confront somebody, unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the courage to come down … if you’re such a tough man, tough guy, come down and tell it to my face, and let’s have a discussion about it.” Seems like Alexander Zverev channeled the same energy on Monday night as he gave the most brutal and fitting response to a heckler at the Canadian Open.

At the Centre Court, the German ATP pro bested defending Toronto champion Alexei Popyrin in a cliffhanger. After the two-hour-forty-two-minute marathon battle, the World No.3 entered the semis with a score line of 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. He was struggling initially in the first set but made a stunning return in the remaining two. More than anything, it was a statement win for Zverev.

The German star had to face an unwanted distraction on the court while fighting it out against Popyrin. In the final set, someone in the crowd was trying to irritate him whenever he was preparing to serve. And while the perpetrator was eventually escorted out of the arena, Zverev made sure that his response to the heckling was recorded for posterity. The moment he sealed the match against the Aussie pro, Zverev simply turned back where the heckler had been sitting and started waving his right hand at them, saying “Bye Bye”.

While shaking hands at the net, Popyrin showed a nice gesture toward Zverev on the unfortunate incident in the last set. “Sorry about the end”, he said. But Zverev didn’t have any blood for him. “No No. Don’t worry about it.” He ended saying, “Good match, good play.” Despite losing, the Aussie wished him “Good luck in the tournament”.

Coming back to the match result itself, Zverev has now accomplished a rare feat. After Djokovic, he’s become the just the second active ATP player to make it to 75 tour-level semifinals. The Serbian has done it 196 times already. Also, this event marks Zverev’s 21st semifinal campaign at a Masters 1000 event. So how did he feel about this epic win?

Alexander Zverev shares honest thought on a hard-fought battle

For the uninitiated, Alexander Zverev has been a former Canadian Open winner. In 2017, he bested none other than tennis GOAT and 20-time slam king Roger Federer in the summit clash. Now it seems he may have a shot at his second trophy in this Masters 1000 event.

Although the quarterfinal fight was tough against Popyrin, the German managed to hold his nerves. During the on-court interview, he let out his honest emotions. “I had to find a return position in the beginning because he’s a very big server, and when he gets into a rhythm, it’s very difficult against him,” he said, as reported by ATP Tour’s website on August 5.

Reflecting on his weak points, he added, “I did that in the second and third set. Honestly, I can’t complain about much. I played one loose game on my serve in the second set, but apart from that, it was pretty good.” He would like to make much-needed adjustments and refinements ahead of the semis. Zverev’s next opponent is yet to be confirmed as of this writing.

After the first round Wimbledon loss last month, Zverev has made a solid return on the court. It will boost his confidence ahead of the US Open campaign. What do you think about his chances at the Flushing Meadows this time? After reaching the final in 2020, can he actually clinch his maiden slam this year? Let us know in the comments below.