A German court has ordered Alexander Zverev to pay a fine of $482,000 in relation to accusations of domestic violence against the world’s top 10 tennis player. In Germany, this type of fine is used to resolve certain criminal cases without the need to take the case to trial, as long as the penalty is not contested. However, since Zverev has denied the accusations and contested the decision, he is expected to face a trial soon, as announced by the Berlin court in a statement released last Wednesday (1).
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The 26-year-old German player is accused of physically attacking and harming the health of Brenda Patea, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, during an incident in Berlin in May 2020. Zverev publicly denied the accusations in July this year, when the case became public, when he was asked about the matter during the ATP 500 in Hamburg, in which he emerged victorious.
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The law firm representing Zverev issued a statement on Tuesday, in which it rejected the accusations and alleged “procedural irregularities in the case”, claiming to have “expert medical evidence” that corroborates the tennis player’s version.
A finalist at this year’s US Open and gold medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Zverev was previously ranked second in the world, but is currently ranked ninth. This week, he is competing in the Paris Masters 1000, looking for one of the remaining spots for the ATP Finals. Alexander Zverev made his first public statement about the imposed fine, stating that he considers it “a complete sham”. He intends to appeal the decision, which means he will have to appear before a judge to try to prove his innocence, something he has maintained from the beginning. Zverev said: “It’s a complete sham. Anyone with an average IQ knows what they want and what we’re talking about here.”