Alexander Zverev dismissed accusations he was on his phone during his defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday night.
Zverev lost in two sets to Tsitsipas on Wednesday night at the O2 Arena in the ATP World Tour Finals.
The German was soundly beaten 6-3, 6-2 in what was a disappointing defeat.
But he hit headlines for all the wrong reasons after the game, as he was caught on television cameras touching something in his bag believed to be his phone.
Zverev was sat on his bench between sets, and was seen reaching his hand into his bag and swiping his finger at something.
Fans immediately thought it was his mobile phone, but the world number seven rejected those claims.
“I don’t know what they saw, but it was definitely not a phone,’ he said.
“My phone was in the locker room.
“I always leave it there.
“I mean, [it could have been] a water bottle? Empty water bottle maybe?”
Players are banned from bringing any electronics with them to the court, meaning Zverev risked punishment if it turned out to be his phone.
Zverev will now face Daniil Medvedev on Friday night.
If he wins, he can still progress to the knockout stages of the competition.
Zverev will progress at Rafael Nadal’s expense if he wins, knocking out the Spaniard regardless of his result against Tsitsipas on Friday.
Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7[3], 6-3, 7-6[4] on Wednesday night.
