Alexander Zverev says he welcomes the ATP investigation of him and hopes it will clear his name.
The ATP is investigating the 24-year-old German for violent domestic abuse claims his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova made against him dating back to 2019.
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Meeting the media in Indian Wells on Wednesday, Zverev said he’s glad to see the ATP is investigating—and says this is exactly what he’s asked for in an effort to prove his innocence
“Bloody finally, to be honest. I’ve been asking that myself for months now,” Zverev told the media in Indian Wells. “I’ve been asking that myself to do that since London last year because it’s very hard for me as you guys know to clear my name.
"And only with something like this I can completely. Because I have been in court in Germany, which I won the case against the author and the publication which the author is ignoring right now which I think will have a lot of consequences for him. But I asked myself for a very long time for this to happen.”
The ATP announced its investigation into Zverev on Monday saying in a statement that it “fully condemns any form of violence or abuse and will investigate such allegations related to conduct at an ATP member tournament.”
“The allegations raised against Alexander Zverev are serious and we have a responsibility to address them,” ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said. “We hope our investigation will allow us to establish the facts and determine appropriate follow-up action. We understand Zverev welcomes our investigation and acknowledge that he has denied all allegations.
"We will also be monitoring any further legal developments following the preliminary injunction obtained by Zverev in the German Courts.”
Olga Sharypova, Zverev's ex-girlfriend, alleges Zverev violently abused her during the 2019 Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament.
In her extensive interview with Slate.com, Sharypova said she and Zverev argued repeatedly in their hotel room on October 9th, 2019. The German told her not to attend his Shanghai match against Andrey Rublev, Sharypova said.
When he returned from his match on October 10th, 2019, Sharypova said she was getting out of the shower naked when Zverev demanded she leave their hotel room immediately and began berating her.
When Sharypova asked for a little time to get dressed, she said the request sent Zverev into a rage. Sharypova said Zverev repeatedly punched her while she tried to defend herself from the attack.
"He started to punch me, and this time I understand that I can’t be dough for punching," Sharypova told Slate.com. "I was just trying to protect myself. I'm already naked. I'm a woman, I don't have much power. And after my shower, I don't have time to get my clothes. I don't feel safe for one second."
The fourth-ranked Zverev has denied all abuse allegations Sharypova has made calling them "simply not true." Zverev has also filed lawsuits against Slate in both Germany and the United States claiming defamation.
Asked why he hasn’t yet shared his side of the story from that incident in detail, Zverev said "I have proven that I'm innocent in a lot of ways."
“To be honest it’s very difficult in my situation because a lot of the times you know the man is not really believed,” Zverev said.
“I have proven that I’m innocent in a lot of different ways. Now, with this investigation that’s finally happening, I hope that this can be done and dusted from a third individual party.”
The world No. 4 arrives in Indian Wells having won 17 of his last 18 matches, including the Olympic gold medal and Masters championship in Cincinnati—his fourth title of 2021.
Zverev says the abuse allegations have been a cloud hanging over his head and the sport itself.
“To be very honest I think Andy Murray said it very well in San Diego when tennis players and stars of the game they play tennis and win tennis matches and win big tournaments you want to talk about that,” Zverev said.
“To be honest I’ve had one of the most incredible seasons a young guy has had so far in the last probably 10 years winning the Olympics, winning two Masters Series titles and winning four tournaments and that’s kind of forgotten a little bit. Once this situation is over, once this situation is done we can go back to how it was.”
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