Alexander Zverev has reiterated that he has done nothing wrong after being accused of mentally and physically abusing a former partner of his.
Olga Sharypova made a series of sensational claims against the German tennis star during an interview last year with Racquet Magazine. Alleging that he once held a pillow over her head during an argument they had in a New York hotel and she was even punched by him. Sharypova, who first met Zverev at the age of 14, says she attempted suicide over the abuse she said she suffered.
Throughout the revelations the 23-year-old US Open finalist has denied the allegations and says the two have not spoken with each other since 2019. Although the seriousness of the incident has cast a dark cloud over him. Addressing the claims once again in an interview with newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Zverev revealed his reaction upon first hearing Sharypova’s story.
“I was the happiest person in the world after the two tournament victories in Cologne. I played golf on the Nintendo Wii with Mischa in Hamburg in my old children’s room, just like we used to do when we were kids. All of a sudden, messages start coming in on my cell phone. I sat down on the floor and said to Mischa “Look at this!” I couldn’t believe it,” said Zverev.
Despite making headlines around the world, Sharypova says that she plans to take no legal action against her former partner. Instead she hopes to draw attention to domestic violence by speaking out. Meanwhile, Zverev has also dismissed the motion of launching his own lawsuit for defamation against her.
“The more I talk, the bigger and longer the story would drag on. We therefore decided against it,” he explained.
In Zverev’s view, he believes the claims have been partly motivated by another ex-partner of his. Leading up to the allegations it was confirmed that Brenda Patea was pregnant with his child. Furthermore, Zverev says Sharypova tried to contact him after they broke up for them to get back together again.
“If you look at the timing, you’ll notice that she made her accusations shortly after it became public that Brenda was expecting my child. Before that, Olga and I had no contact for a year,” he said.
“Not even when she tried to get back together with me through my parents. But I did not want that. I think this timing says it all …”
In the coming weeks Zverev is likely to face fresh questions over his relationship with the Russian after it was confirmed a new interview would be published in the lead up to the Australian Open. Journalist Ben Rothenberg, who conducted the original interview with Sharypova, confirmed a ‘follow-up’ will be released without providing any further details.
In the meantime, Zverev is currently in quarantine in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open. He will be seeking to do better at the Grand Slam than his run to the semi-finals 12 months ago.
