London (AFP) - Former world number two Alexander Zverev will face no disciplinary action from the ATP after an independent investigation found "insufficient evidence" to substantiate allegations of domestic abuse, it was announced Tuesday.
The 25-year-old German player became the subject of an ATP-commissioned probe in October 2021 following allegations made by his former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova.
Zverev, on a comeback from tearing ankle ligaments at the French Open last year, had denied all of the allegations.
The ATP said in a statement: "A major independent investigation into Alexander Zverev has found insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse.As a result, no disciplinary action will be taken by ATP."
The ATP, the governing body for the men's professional tennis tour, said while the primary focus of the investigation related to alleged abuses at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019, its scope also included purported misconduct in other locations, including Monaco, New York and Geneva, as referenced in public reporting.
An inquiry led by the Lake Forest Group (LFG), a third-party investigator, conducted what the statement said were "extensive interviews" with Sharypova, Zverev and 24 others including family and friends, players, and other parties involved with the ATP tour.
It also reviewed submissions by both Sharypova and Zverev, including text messages, audio files and photos.
Following a 15-month process, LFG submitted its full report to the ATP, which said that "based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse" or determine that violations of the ATP's rules had taken place.
The statement added the findings "may however be reevaluated should new evidence come to light, or should any legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules".
ATP chief executive Massimo Calvelli said: "The seriousness and complexity of these allegations required an extremely thorough investigative process and considerable resources.
"It also required us to turn to specialist investigators, which was new ground for ATP.We ultimately believe the exhaustive process was necessary to reach an informed judgement.
"It has also shown the need for us to be more responsive on safeguarding matters.It is the reason we've taken steps in that direction, with a lot of important work still ahead."
