The captain of Argentina's Davis Cup team responds to Zverev's comments about Argentine fans
Alexander Zverev took part in the South American clay-court tour, a decision that proved unsuccessful with only 3 wins and 2 losses.
The German also criticized the Argentine crowd, complaining about the noise coming from the stands.
Javier Frana, the captain of Argentina's Davis Cup team, did not hesitate to respond to these remarks and defend his country's fans.
"Zverev didn’t watch Sebastián Báez’s match against Gaël Monfils at Roland Garros. The crowd was wild, but no one criticized the Europeans. It’s only us South Americans who booed Zverev.
We’re always the villains and the rude ones in the movie. You can’t judge us on these things.
I insist, it’s wrong to whistle between serves, but you can’t stop 5, 10, or 15,000 people from trying to cheer for their local player.
If it bothers you, you should do something else, like play chess. If I go play against Zverev in Hamburg and they don’t make me feel like the visitor, don’t act like it’s normal.
That will be their way, and we respect that. What I don’t like is when minor situations are exaggerated."
Frana also reacted to Holger Rune’s comments criticizing the Buenos Aires tournament, particularly the quality of the clay courts: "In South America, we make huge efforts to attract them, and it’s as if they’re disconnected from all of it.
We bring in a player, and he plays half-heartedly or doesn’t perform well… Before criticizing, they should reconsider their behavior."
