German Court Orders Alexander Zverev to Pay $478K Fine and Imposes Penalty over Alleged Physical Abuse Allegations by Ex-Partner
German tennis star Alexander Zverev fined $478K by Berlin court over physical abuse allegations by former partner Court statement confirms penalty order and substantial fine
German tennis player Alexander Zverev has received a penalty order and been fined â¬450,000 ($478,000) by a Berlin court following allegations of physical abuse against a woman. The court statement states that Zverev is accused of engaging in physical abuse and causing harm to a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020.
Zverev refutes the allegations and has contested the penalty order, leading to the case being transferred to a Berlin district court where the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" will apply, as stated in the communication. As per Zverev's legal team, the woman involved is his former partner, though her name is not disclosed in the court statement, but she is widely believed to be the mother of his child.
A penalty order can be issued by a judge in Germany when the public prosecutors office deems a trial unnecessary. However, the defendant, like Zverev, can dispute it, resulting in a probable public trial. The court statement reveals that the alleged injured party has become a complainant and CNN has contacted her management team for a comment.
"Mr. Zverev rejects the accusation made against him," a statement from his lawyer reads.
The case will now likely go to a public trial.
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The referee order is solely reliant on the allegations raised by the complainant, which have already been debunked by a forensic medical report conducted by Prof. Dr. Tsokos, a renowned forensic physician at Charite Berlin. Zverev's attorney refers to this report, pointing out significant inconsistencies that cannot be justified from a forensic medical perspective.
Zverev denied the allegations when prosecutors requested the penalty order in July, stating: "I categorically deny the accusations."
The ATP Tour announced in January that no disciplinary action would be taken against Zverev. A separate investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the published allegations of abuse. In October 2021, the ATP initiated an investigation into domestic abuse allegations made by Olya Sharypova, one of Zverev's former girlfriends.
"Due to the absence of credible evidence and conflicting statements from Sharypova, Zverev, and other individuals interviewed, the inquiry failed to corroborate the abuse accusations," stated the ATP.
