ANGRY Alexander Zverev saw red as he smashed his racket THREE TIMES in rage.
The volatile German let his temper boil over at the French Open during his first-round victory over Australian John Millman.
The 22-year-old was on course for a straight sets victory when he raced into a 2-0 sets lead at Roland Garros.
Yet when the match went to a fifth and final set, Zverev returned to his chair and took out his frustration on the poor racket, aggressively smashing it against the clay.
Despite that outburst, he maintained his composure in the final stages and saw out the victory 7-6 6-3 2-6 6-7 6-3 over the course of four hours.
The No5 seed will take on Swedish youngster Mikael Ymer, 20, in the second round.
But much of the talk was understandably about Zverev’s racket-smashing antics.
The hotheaded star is known for destroying his equipment and enduring spectacular meltdowns.
At the Australian Open, he smashed his racket NINE times during his straight-sets defeat to Canadian Milos Raonic.
At the time, he said: “It made me feel better. I was very angry, so I let my anger out.”
Zverev has only reached one major quarter-final in 15 attempts and the world No.5 takes on Swede Mikael Ymer in the second round in Paris.
He is seen as one of the stars of the game and announced himself at the ATP Finals in London last November.
The 6ft 6ins three-time Masters 1000 winner beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in succession to lift the season-ending tournament.
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