Tennis Tour officials said on Monday that they had opened an investigation into domestic violence charges brought by Alexander Zverev’s former girlfriend.
Olga Sharypova, a former junior player, accused the German world number four of physical and emotional abuse last year, which Zverev denied.
More specifics of Sharypova’s allegations were revealed in an August piece by the online magazine Slate, forcing Zverev, 24, to issue a statement in which he “categorically and unambiguously” denied assaulting her.
In addition, he filed a lawsuit.
One of the complaints was an alleged incident during the 2019 Shanghai Masters.
The ATP, the governing body for men’s professional tennis circuits, announced that an investigation had been initiated.
The ATP said in a statement that an internal investigation into claims involving Alexander Zverev at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019 is now underway.
“The allegations levelled against Alexander Zverev are serious, and we have an obligation to handle them,” ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli stated.
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“The ATP strongly condemns any kind of violence or abuse, and will look into any complaints of such behaviour at an ATP member tournament.”
“We hope that our inquiry will enable us to ascertain the facts and determine the best course of action to take. We believe that Zverev is pleased with our probe and that he has dismissed all claims. We’ll also keep an eye on any potential legal developments in the wake of Zverev’s interim injunction in German courts.”
The ATP does not currently have a domestic violence policy comparable to those in place in several sports leagues, but on Monday it announced the completion of an independent report into safeguarding that includes a number of recommendations.It stated that it would investigate the report and prepare a safeguarding policy for all forms of abuse, including domestic violence.
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