Any kind of card game requires quick thinking from the players, who use several tactics to win. French Open finalist Alexander Zverev is no different. He likes to win and he will use any strategy he can to pull one over his friends. In Montreal for the Canadian Open Zverev appears in a video with his girlfriend who accused the former number 3 of being great at “cheating,” which saw no resistance from Zverev.

The Tennis Channel recently shared a snippet of their podcast on Instagram, where Zverev appeared with his belle, Sophia Thomalla. The conversation started with Thomalla accusing Zverev of cheating while playing card games. Zverev, accepting the blame with a teasing smile, confessed, “Yes, cheating is part of playing cards! I also find it amusing.”

Sophia seemed confused and asked, “Card games are about cheating?” to which Zverev explained, “That’s what they’re meant for! But when we play something serious, then I have honor. Then I don’t do it. But if it’s midnight and we’re all laughing ourselves to death, then I find it funny. I do it in a way that it’s obvious. I do it so that everyone notices.” However, there is one place where the Italian Open champion will never even think of cheating.

Zverev made it clear that he would never replicate a similar approach in tennis. He proudly stated, “Never in a match would I do that. In tennis, I would never abuse a single rule or even think about it. For me, tennis rules are sacred,” to which Sophia agreed, saying, “That’s right.”

Their banter shows how the couple has grown since they began dating in 2020. They frequently share their moments together on social media and the German model is often seen cheering for Zverev at his matches and posts about their relationship. Zverev appreciated her support in an interview, saying “Sophia gives me peace and security. I play extremely well with her behind me. I hope that continues next year and maybe even better. I haven’t achieved all of my goals yet.”

Their relationship is full of love and admiration despite the cheating during card games. On International Women’s Day, Sophia posted a photo of them sharing a kiss, captioning it, “I can do whatever I want on International Women’s Day. And I want to appreciate this guy.” Although this was a playful act, there was a moment when the German had to face serious accusations of cheating.

When commentators accused Alexander Zverev of “dirty cheating”

Zverev faced terrible accusations of “dirty cheating” during his quarter-final match against Alex de Minaur at the French Open. While the showdown was about to begin and players gathered around for the coin toss, Zverev called “ball,” but the coin landed on “racquet.” Despite this, Zverev insisted he said “racquet” and therefore claimed he guessed correctly. The chair umpire Damien Dumusois, looked towards de Minaur to make the decision, but Zverev jumped in, insisting on his call of “racquet.”

A glimpse of this incident started to spread on social media platforms and therefore sparked outrage among tennis commentators. Canadian tennis commentator Ben Lewis wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “How is Alexander Zverev getting away with dirty club level cheating in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros?” Leading tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg also added, “I have never seen such casual, committed scammery in tennis like this before.”

Although the heat somehow came to an end, the incident left a mark on the German ATP star’s career. As he continues to move ahead with his firm belief of being a fair competitor, records somehow contradict his statements.