Alexander Zverev speaks out after being cleared of wrongdoing by ATP
The ATP investigation into Alexander Zverev after claims of abuse from former girlfriend Olya Sharapova has been concluded.
Alexander Zverev has been cleared of wrongdoing after a lengthy ATP investigation into claims of domestic violence levelled at the German tennis star back in 2019. The World No.14 will have no disciplinary action taken against him after the ATP probe ruled there was 'insufficient' evidence to substantiate claims made by former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova.
Zverev, 25, has consistently denied any allegations of wrongdoing, labelling the allegations 'baseless' soon after the investigation was launched following the claims against him being made public. In a statement posted shortly after the ATP decision was handed down, Zverev said 'justice has prevailed'.
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"This decision marks a third, neutral, third-party arbiter who has reviewed all relevant information and made a clear and informed decision on this matter in my favour," he said in a statement. "In addition to the ATP's independent investigation, I have also initiated court proceedings in Germany and Russia, both of which I have won.
"I am grateful that this is finally resolved and my priority now is recovering from injury and concentrating on what I love most in this world — tennis."
The ATP said while the primary focus of the probe related to alleged abuses at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019, its scope also included possible 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 "extensive interviews" with Sharypova, Zverev and 24 others.
LFG took a total of 15 months to conduct the investigation, ultimately finding conflicting evidence from Sharypova and Zverev. This meant that the could not establish significant enough evidence to 'substantiate the allegations of abuse'.
They were also unable to determine if any ATP rules had been breached. In a statement however, the ATP reserved the right to re-evaluate their findings, should new evidence be presented, or legal proceedings reveal that they ought to.
ATP chief executive Massimo Calvelli said: "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."
'Insufficient evidence' in ATP probe into Alexander Zverev
Former girlfriend Sharypova alleged that Zverev tried to "strangle" her before the 2019 US Open. Sharypova also revealed that she tried to commit suicide after claiming Zverev physically assaulted her in a hotel room in Geneva.
Zverev was adamant that the claims made against him were "unfounded" and made him "very sad". harypova gave an interview to a Russian sports website in which she alleged the strangulation attempt and that Zverev also hit her head against a wall at a New York hotel before the tournament, saying she feared for her life.
Sharypova told CNN that she felt she needed to speak up - not just for herself but to help other women. “I do not want to say that he is a bad person. I'm just saying that he did a terrible thing to me,” Sharypova said.
“A huge number of girls suffer from cruelty, violence and abuse from men and do not tell their stories to anyone. Some are afraid, some just live with it, others simply cannot talk about this topic. It hurts me that in the 21st century we still have not come to the conclusion that a woman is also a person, a human.
“We must be respected, not treated like floor rags.”
Zverev, who reached the 2020 US Open final and won men's singles gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, achieved a career-best peak of number two in the world rankings last season. An ankle injury at the French Open against Rafael Nadal ended his campaign and he only made his return to competitive action earlier this month, with a second-round exit at the Australian Open.
He took further legal action against Sharypova last year, as well as an online publisher, after further allegations of abuse were made, while lending his support for a domestic violence policy to be introduced by the ATP.
With agencies
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