"That's a weird way to spell abuser" - Fans appalled at Alexander Zverev being called "resilient" by Patrick Mouratoglou after Australian Open QF win

Fans were shocked by Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou referring to Alexander Zverev as "resilient" following his victory in the 2024 Australian Open quarterfinals.

Zverev handed Carlos Alcaraz a 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 defeat to secure his place in the semifinals of the Melbourne Slam. The German dominated the first two sets but stumbled in the third as the Spaniard refused to go down without a fight and made a comeback to win the tie-break and claim the set.

However, the World No. 6 rallied to win the fourth set and ultimately clinched the match. The victory propelled him to the the last four in Melbourne for the second time.

Following Alexander Zverev's victory, Patrick Mouratoglou took to social media to commend the German player on his win. He stated that there was only one word to describe Zverev - "resilient."

"If I had to choose one word to define @AlexZverev it would be: Resilient," Mouratoglos posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Fans were left astounded by Mouratoglou complimenting Zverev despite the serious allegations of domestic abuse that currently surround the latter.

One fan stated that the appropriate term the French coach seemed to be searching for was "abuser."

"thats a weird way to spell 'abuser,'" a fan posted.

Another fan expressed satisfaction in being completely indifferent towards Mouratoglou's opinion.

"In all my years as a tennis fan, watching many highs and many lows, many difficult moments, many moments of celebration, I have never once, not even once, thought to myself 'I wonder what Patrick Mouratoglou thinks about this situation?' And I'm actually really glad about that," the fan posted.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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Alexander Zverev on facing Carlos Alcaraz in Australian Open QF: "I was playing one of the best players in the world"

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the 2023 US Open

Following his win against Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev stated that it was an honour and acknowledged the privilege of competing against one of the world's finest players, Alcaraz, who has consistently held the top rankings as World No. 1 or World No. 2 for the past few years.

“I was playing one of the best players in the world. Over the past two years he has been No. 1 or No. 2 constantly,” Alexander Zverev said during his post-match on-court interview. “We are all human and it is a great honour to play against guys like him."

Zverev also expressed his satisfaction with his comeback in the fourth set and with how he managed to win the match despite losing the third set.

“When you’re so close to winning your brain starts going and it is not always helpful, but I’m happy that I got there in the end. I fought back quite well in the fourth set, didn’t let go and I’m very happy that I finished the match. I’m happy to be here and I’m ready to keep going,” he added.

Alexander Zverev will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open.