The ATP says their decision to investigate Alexander Zverev in relation to allegations of domestic abuse has highlighted areas where the organization ‘needs to do more’ in the future.
On October 4th the governing body of men’s tennis confirmed in a statement that they have launched an investigation into the tennis star in relation to allegations around the time of the 2019 Shanghai Masters. Zverev’s former partner Olga Sharypova has accused him of mentally and physically abusing her throughout their relationship. In two separate interviews with The Racquet magazine in 2020 and then Slate.com in 2021 she outlined events which she claims happened during their relationship. Providing photos purportedly showing bruises on her face and screenshots of WhatsApp messages she sent at the time. The Slate article is no longer available online due to an emergency injunction issued by a German court.
The specific event the ATP is investigating concerns allegations that Zverev attacked Sharypova during their stay in Shanghai nearly three years ago. Sharypova said she attempted to take her own life by injecting some insulin into her as a result of the incident.
Providing an update on the investigation, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said his organization are ‘engaging’ with a third party but said he wasn’t allowed to provide any further details.
“The investigation is ongoing. We have engaged an independent third party with expertise in this area to assist us in the investigative process. I cannot comment on the details of the investigation as of now, but I can say that we have more information available when the investigation is complete,” Gaudenzi told Spox.com earlier this week.
Describing the situation as ‘new territory’ for the ATP, Gaudenzi admits that more work needs to be done in order to address the topic and any other future claims of domestic violence made at players. In 2021 a Independent Safeguarding Report commissioned by the ATP made a series of recommendations to ensure safeguarding is embedded across all aspects of the Tour. This included the prevention, reporting and investigation of abuse.
“I can say that this is all new territory for us as an organization. It has shown us areas in which we have some catching up to do and need to do more in the future,” Gaudenzi commented.
“I’m glad that last year together with an external expert we did a very thorough review on safety and security issues and as a result we have received a number of recommendations to ensure that all children and adults involved in professional tennis are safe and free from abuse. Building on these recommendations will be a great focus.”
Zverev, who is currently ranked third in the world, has repeatedly denied all the allegations made against him and previously welcomed the ATP investigation into him.
It is unclear as to how much longer the ATP investigation will take.
