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German Tennis Pro Alexander Zverev entered the middle of his match on the Halle Open Wednesday to help a fan who had been hit by a falling advertising board that apparently loosened during the match.
The incident took place during the first set of Zverev’s fight against American Marcos Giron.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev responds after his match against US Marcos Giron under the Halle ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, Wednesday 18 June 2025. (David Inderlied/DPA via AP)
Organizers of tournaments released a statement after the incident and explained that a 62-year-old woman sitting in the lower level of Grass Court Stadium had been hit when an advertising board from above loosened and fell on top of her.
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Zverev and Umpire Renaud Lichtenstein ran over to check the woman, and the No. 3-ranked TennisPro handed the woman an ice pack, which the organizers said she applied her throat.
She maintained no serious injuries and was later taken to a hospital.
“There has never been anything like it in our 32-year-old tournament history. We are deeply sorry for the incident,” Tournament Director Ralf Weber said in a statement.
A billboard loosened from the stands and fell into the spectator area under the Halle ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, Wednesday 18 June 2025. (David Inderlied/DPA via AP)
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Two of the event leaders, Udo Kleine and Uwe Greipel-Dominik, said the board had probably fallen after screws that held it in place were loosened due to “drums against the boards.” The boards were then checked and the fight continued.
The woman also got a free passport for the tournament next year, according to the organizers.
Despite the incident, Zverev continued to defeat Giron in straight sets.
An ambulance from the German Red Cross runs through the crowd after a billboard loosened from the grandstand and fell into the spectator area under the Halle ATP tennis tournament in Halle, Germany, Wednesday 18 June 2025. (David Inderlied/DPA via AP)
Saturday morning he went on to the quarter -final area where he took the first set over Italy Flavio Cobolli.
