Tennis star Alexander Zverev was visibly annoyed and disgusted after a reporter quizzed him about his impending trial for domestic abuse. The exchange took place during a mandatory press conference at the ongoing 2024 Australian Open after Zverev secured a hard-fought second-round victory over Lukas Klein, 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (10-7).
On Monday last week, right at the start of the tournament, Zverev was already in Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the season when he and the rest of the world found out that the Tiergarten district court in Berlin has decided that he will have to face a public trial for the domestic abuse case that was filed against him by his ex-girlfriend.
The trial has been scheduled in May, and during the aforementioned press conference, the player was asked if he will personally attend. Zverev replied "Wow!" in apparent disbelief before saying: "That's a question. I just played four hours, 40 minutes. That's not the first question I really want to hear, to be honest. I've got no idea."
Alexander Zverev's frosty press conference in full after domestic abuse trial sethttps://t.co/N289aHzBjE pic.twitter.com/EBFplWRS8u
— Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) January 16, 2024
He was clearly upset that the case is in the spotlight even though he is in the middle of a very important tournament. However, the general public is obviously concerned about the situation, and the reporter isn't the only one who is interested in finding out exactly how the German is dealing with the allegations against him.
The back story behind the upcoming trial
It may be remembered that back in October 2023, Zverev was issued a penalty order and fined €450,000 (£390k) by a German court over allegations of physical abuse. The accuser was named as his ex-girlfriend Olya Sharypova, who claims that he assaulted her during an argument that took place in May 2020.
Earlier reports from 2020 also point to allegations made by Sharypova in relation to several other incidents of abuse, including one that took place in New York during the US Open in 2019.
Zverev has since denied the allegations and lodged an objection. However, the court has decided to proceed with a public trial. He remains legally innocent and is so far not convicted in the case until a final ruling is made.
What does the case mean for Zverev's career?
As mentioned, the player has been accused but remains innocent until the trial is concluded. The 26-year-old Olympic Gold Medalist does not wish to allow the case to derail his career, but he may not be able to avoid it.
As conversations become more public and more details emerge about the upcoming trial, the ATP may be forced to intervene. Other competitions such as the NBA and NFL as well as sporting organisations such as football clubs have on occasion been forced to suspend athletes who are undergoing trial for similar domestic abuse cases.
Unfortunately for Zverev, there will likely be massive public pressure since his trial will coincide with the French Open, which will be staged from May 28 to June 11. According to The Guardian, Zverev's trial is scheduled to begin on May 31, and will continue over eight dates: 7, 11, 18 and 21 June, and 5, 12 and 19 July.
Wimbledon will then be played on July 1-14, meaning there will be little chance that Zverev can quietly sort out the case behind the scenes. If he is forced to be absent for either Grand Slam, more uncomfortable questions will be asked.
The ATP appears to be adopting the innocent until proven guilty policy
For now, the German is at least assured of the support of his peers. The ATP announced two weeks ago that Zverev has been chosen as a new member of the ATP player council. Players vote for who can enter the council, meaning the German is still a trusted member of the organisation.
Other players have been asked about their opinion on the case and Zverev's position on the council, but the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Cameron Norrie refused to pass judgement and claimed that they are not aware of the exact details of the case.
Meanwhile, the players in the WTA tour are not too happy about the developments. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek said: "For sure it's not good when a player who's facing charges like that is kind of being promoted."
Russian player Daria Kasatkina added: "In general, if there is a criminal [process] or something, I don't think it's the right thing to promote a person."
