German tennis star Alexander Zverev set the tennis world on fire when he made his debut. The star has enjoyed continued success on the tennis court since then. However, there is a great disconnect between his on-court persona and his personal life. While Zverev has established himself as a star player, he has also gained an ill reputation as a domestic abuser.
The star’s violent nature was brought forth once again this week when a German court fined Zverev. Sascha, as he is known within the tennis community, was accused of causing ‘bodily harm’ to the mother of his child, Brenda Patea.
Alexander Zverev has been issued a penalty order for an abuse claim made by ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea.
Fined €450,000, Zverev is contesting the German court’s decision. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office had sought the order in July.
(h/t @guardian)https://t.co/i78ZEdKgzw
— TENNIS (@Tennis) October 31, 2023
Unfortunately, Patea was not his first victim. Olga Sharypova, Sacha’s former girlfriend, also leveled allegations of domestic violence against him in 2019. In an interview, Sharypova opened up about the abuse she received at the hands of the player. Olga had suffered for much of their relationship, and Zverev’s violence only increased the longer they dated.
Olga Sharypova’s suffering
Sharypova recounted how Sascha nearly suffocated her with a pillow once. She further elaborated that his violence reached new heights in New York in 2019. Olga was scared for her life.
Despite the abuse, Sharypova continued traveling with Zverev. She had accompanied him to Geneva that year, where the Laver Cup was being held. It was in Geneva that Zverev punched her in the face for the first time. Olga was so disturbed that she injected insulin into her bloodstream and had to be revived by a Laver Cup official.
Zverev’s abuse continued in China too, even though Olga felt Alexander was more even-tempered. The tensions affected Sharypova greatly, though, causing her skin to break out in hives. Things took an ugly turn pretty soon, and Olga ended up injecting herself with insulin once again within a month.
Zverev managed to revive Olga, but the tensions spilled over shortly after. Olga recalled getting into the shower, while Zverev continued to tell her off. At one point, Zverev got so violent that he grabbed Olga by the throat, pushed her against the wall, and started punching her. Sharypova said she tried to hit back to get away from him.
Two days later, Olga sent pictures of her injuries from the altercation to a friend on WhatsApp. Sharypova opened up to her friend about how Zverev started punching her in Geneva. “In Geneva, he started to punch in the face,” read her text (via Slate).
The ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis, finally took note of the situation, even though they did not address it directly. Sharypova was, after all, abused during official ATP tours.
How did Alexander Zverev respond to the accusations?
Alexander Zverev publicly denounced Olga’s claims of domestic violence. He took to social media to state that Sharypova’s claims were “simply not true.” Even during subsequent interviews, Zverev pointed out how unbothered he was by her statements.
Yesterday, Olya Sharypova, who had accused Alexander Zverev of domestic abuse, gave an interview to Ben Rothenberg for Racquet – https://t.co/57VejKjVXD
Zverev was asked for comment after his win last night. He said ‘I have said everything on my Instagram.’ His Instagram: pic.twitter.com/AJLTkCbtYA
— David Law (@DavidLawTennis) November 6, 2020
In 2021, the ATP finally launched an investigation into Sharypova’s claims of domestic violence. In the meantime, Zverev faced no consequences, and in 2023, the ATP found “insufficient evidence” against him.
Brenda Patea’s case has once again brought Alexander Zverev’s nature to the forefront. It also acts as a glaring display of the ATP’s failures. Zverev is currently playing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.