In addition to Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, the German Alexander Zverev is also in focus at the ATP finals in Turin. Several women have made allegations of violence against Zverev.
Alexander Zverev has to fight for his reputation in court. He is accused of domestic violence by two former partners. It’s all lies, he says.
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For years, London was the last destination in the tournament calendar for the best tennis players. The best eight of the coming season gathered for the ATP finals in the O2 Arena on the Thames. For the third time, the final highlight of the season will take place in Turin. The first decision was made in the second match of the week-long event. After the three-set win in the first group game against the Dane Holger Rune, it is clear that Novak Djokovic will end the season as world number one for the eighth time. The 36-year-old Serb’s reign will enter its 400th week next Monday.
In Turin everything comes to a head with a showdown between Djokovic and Spanish competitor Carlos Alcaraz, 16 years his junior, who had temporarily pushed the Serb off the top of the world rankings. But the focus is also on another player who has recently made headlines primarily off the pitch. Alexander Zverev is taking part in the showdown of the best eight of the season for the sixth time. He won the tournament in London in 2018 and in Turin two years ago.
Together with the Olympic victory a good two years ago in Tokyo, the two titles at the ATP finals are the highlights of the German’s palmarès. He also reached the final of the US Open in 2020, which he lost to the Austrian Dominic Thiem despite leading the set 2-0. Since then, setbacks, injuries and, above all, scandals off the court have shaped the life of the Russian-born German.
At the end of October, the Tiergarten district court in Berlin imposed a criminal order for domestic violence against Zverev. Because he is said to have physically attacked his then partner, the influencer Brenda Patea, he was sentenced to a fine of 450,000 euros. Zverev rejects the allegations made by his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child and has filed an appeal. A press release from his lawyers stated that he would use all means possible to combat the allegations. Zverev has not yet commented himself.
In 2020 in Acapulco, Zverev completely lost control and was disqualified.
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Zverev has an uncontrolled, short temper
As always in ongoing trials, Zverev is presumed innocent. It’s one word against the other. But regardless of their validity, the allegations stick to him like viscous resin. Even if they cannot be proven with absolute certainty and Zverev is acquitted due to lack of evidence, he will never be able to get rid of them completely.
Especially since it is not the first time that Zverev has been confronted with such accusations. A second former partner also accuses him of assault, but she has refrained from taking legal action. Zverev has a short-tempered, uncontrolled streak. In February 2022 in Acapulco, after a controversial decision in a double match, he completely lost control and freaked out. First he hit the umpire’s chair with the racket and narrowly missed the referee’s foot. He then called the referee a “fucking idiot”.
Zverev was disqualified. The ATP responded to the freak out with a hefty fine of $40,000. Zverev also had to return the $30,000 prize money. It is one of the highest fines ever imposed in professional tennis. The Australians Bernard Tomic ($80,000) and Nick Kyrgios ($113,000) as well as the American Serena Williams ($82,500) were punished more severely.
The image of the hot-tempered rager is cemented
Zverev apologized the next day and said he was disappointed with his behavior. But the image of the hot-tempered rager is cemented. Anyone who loses control of themselves to such an extent on the tennis court is also believed to be capable of doing almost anything in the intimacy of their private lives, despite all presumptions of innocence. Especially since Patea’s ex-girlfriend is now seeking publicity with surprising openness and the support of legal advisors.
The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” recently published Patea’s account of the story under the title “Scenes of Alienation” on an entire newspaper page. Zverev is said to have choked Patea and pushed her against the wall of a Berlin apartment during an argument. The two were already in the middle of a custody battle over their child.
According to his former partner, Zverev is said to have presented her with a nine-page contract to care for their daughter, which would prohibit the mother from speaking publicly about the relationship and, among other things, publishing pictures of the child on her platforms. Patea refused to sign, which obviously contributed to the escalation.
Patea and Zverev were considered the new dream couple
Until their separation in August 2020, the influencer and the tennis star used to publicly stage their private lives. When the relationship between the two became public in autumn 2019, they were considered a new dream couple. Zverev is the most successful German tennis player since Boris Becker and was considered potential number 1 early on. Patea gained a certain level of fame as a participant in the casting show “Germany’s Next Top Model”, which she then used as a so-called influencer with around 300,000 Instagram followers. After less than a year, the relationship was over and the War of the Roses was in full swing.
Zverev’s career did not develop as he had imagined due to various injuries. At the French Open 2022, he seriously injured his right ankle in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal and had to take a break for almost a year.
Now, in the year that is coming to an end, he has regained some momentum in the second half of the season. In the ranking, the former world number three is at least among the top ten (ATP 7). In Roland-Garros he reached the semi-finals (defeat against Casper Ruud), and he also won two smaller tournaments in Hamburg and Chengdu. Only last week he secured his place in the field of eight in Turin in Paris-Bercy, where he started the tournament on Tuesday with a win against the out-of-form Alcaraz.
At 26 years old, Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the youngest on the tour. Alcaraz (20 / ATP 2), Jannik Sinner (22/4), Andrei Rublew (26/5), Stefanos Tsitsipas (25/6), Hubert Hurkacz (26/9) and Taylor Fritz ( 26/10) six players who are the same age or younger. And they are at least as talented as Zverev. In Turin he has the chance to brighten up the season with a third success at the ATP finals. Zverev’s year isn’t bad in terms of sport.
Now the ATP will also have to take a closer look
But it is questionable whether Zverev can still save his image. He is already one of the most unpopular players on the tour. Due to the lack of journalistic distance and lack of any objectivity, German TV reporters can often throw around attributes such as “outstanding” and “world class”. The scandals from his private life and his behavior on the pitch have permanently damaged Zverev’s reputation.
When his former partner Olga Sharipova spoke openly about Zverev’s propensity for violence in the American media for the first time in autumn 2020, the ATP could not avoid initiating an investigation. According to their rules, players are not allowed to do anything in their private lives that would seriously damage the reputation of the sport. In January 2023, the ATP closed the file and announced that no disciplinary measures would be taken against Zverev. There is not enough evidence to support the allegations of abuse.
If the court rejects Zverev’s appeal and sticks to the fine of 450,000 euros in the Patea case, the ATP will not be able to avoid taking a closer look at the player and his behavior. Since the articles, Sharipova has not publicly commented on her allegations. She wrote on Instagram: “I was a victim of domestic violence.” This and the articles in the US media have obviously encouraged Brenda Patea to take the offensive herself.
Patea also contacted Sharipova, who, according to the “Süddeutsche”, made this statement in an affidavit that she submitted in the taking of evidence in favor of Patea. It seems as if Alexander Zverev’s most important duel of the year is still to come.