Alexander Zverev's girlfriend calls him a "machine" after German wins first competitive match since Acapulco DQ

Alexander Zverev made a successful return to the court on Friday, defeating Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild in straight sets to give Germany a 1-0 lead in the Davis Cup World Group qualifiers. The 24-year-old will next face Thiago Monteiro, who leveled the tie at 1-1 by winning his singles fixture against Jan-Lennard Struff.

Zverev is playing his first tournament since being disqualified from the 2022 Mexican Open in Acapulco in bizarre fashion. The German verbally abused the chair umpire during a doubles match, and proceeded to repeatedly smash his racket on the official's chair after the match was over.

The German subsequently put out a statement on his Instagram handle, profusely apologizing for his actions. That, however, did little to salvage the situation as the Mexican Open organizers ended up fining him $40,000 for the incident.

The 24-year-old's reputation has taken a hit in the last few years. His ex-girlfriend Olya Sharypova accused him of physically and emotionally abusing her over the course of their relationship two years ago, prompting the ATP to launch an official investigation into the matter.

But Zverev's current girlfriend Sophia Thomalla, a German actress and TV host, has remained by his side despite all the controversies. She took to Instagram to laud the 24-year-old's performance at the Davis Cup, claiming that he played like a "machine."

Thomalla's unbridled support for her beau comes as little to no surprise. Last year, Zverev opened up about his relationship with the actress, claiming that she gave him a sense of "peace and security."

The duo's relationship has gone from strength to strength since then, and they were seen enjoying each other's company at last year's German Sportsman of the Year awards.

Alexander Zverev scheduled to play at Indian Wells amidst speculation over potential ban

It is currently not clear whether the ATP will ban the World No. 3 indefinitely for his behavior in Acapulco. Several pundits, including Mats Wilander and Rennae Stubbs, recently called on tennis authorities to take action against him. If the 24-year-old doesn't face a ban for his outburst, he will play at the Indian Wells Masters next week.

The German, who has won five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in his career thus far, will be joined at the hardcourt event by fellow top-10 players Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Matteo Berrettini and Felix Auger-Aliassime.