The ATP is looking into claims of domestic abuse made by world No. 4 Alexander Zverev’s ex-girlfriend, according to the governing organization for men’s professional tennis.
In a statement, the ATP stated it “completely condemns any kind of violence or abuse” and that it “will examine any complaints relating to behaviour during an ATP member tournament.”
Olya Sharypova, the German’s ex-girlfriend, said in an interview with Slate in August that he physically and emotionally abused her at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019.
At a press conference ahead to the 2021 US Open in August, Zverev was asked about the claims, which he rejected.
“I’ve always maintained that the claims and everything mentioned are false,” he added.
In August, the 24-year-old again stated on Twitter that no abuse had happened.
“In this case, I’ve enlisted the help of my German and American lawyers.” They’ve already gotten a preliminary injunction against the source and the originator of the bogus accusations.
The court agreed with our arguments and found the allegations to be defamatory and untrue. As a result, the attorneys have filed further charges against the source and the author.
“I completely and unequivocally deny that I abused Olya in any way.” I also strongly favor the establishment of an ATP policy on domestic violence.”
“The allegations leveled against Alexander Zverev are serious, and we have a responsibility to confront them,” ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said in a statement. We are hopeful that our inquiry will enable us to ascertain the facts and identify the best course of action.
“We understand that Zverev welcomes our inquiry and that he has rejected all charges,” says the statement. We’ll also keep an eye on any additional legal developments in the wake of Zverev’s interim injunction in German courts.”
In a hotel room in New York, Sharypova said Zverev tried to smother her with a pillow before fleeing barefoot in fear of her life.
According to screenshots of WhatsApp communications provided to news outlets, the alleged incident occurred on August 23, 2019, around a month and a half before the Shanghai Masters. Zverev stated in October that the claims are “just not true.”
Sharypova told Slate that speaking out was not motivated by Zverev.
She stated, “I wanted to be public, to be honest with all of you.” “Many of the girls in this circumstance are deafeningly quiet. They don’t talk about it because they’re frightened of others saying things like “that’s not true” and other things like that. I just wanted to illustrate that talking about it isn’t difficult.
“It happened in real life, and you experienced it. You know you told the truth, that you aren’t a horrible person, and that you didn’t deserve this.”
