As Alexander Zverev playing against Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open finals today, the German tennis star is once again in the spotlight. While his on-court success has made him one of the biggest names in tennis, his personal life has also drawn significant attention over the years, including abuse allegations from two former partners.
The assault case and settlement
Zverev who is 27, was accused of “physically abusing and damaging the health of a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020,” according to a court statement. The alleged victim was his former partner Brenda Patea who is also the mother of his daughter. Court documents stated that Zverev allegedly “briefly strangled his then partner on the neck with both hands in the stairwell of a Berlin apartment building during an argument,” leaving her with shortness of breath and considerable pain, per CNN.
In October 2023, a German court issued a fine of €450,000 (about $488,000) against Zverev via a penalty order. He denied the allegations and contested the order. On November 1, 2023, Zverev called the fine “complete bulls—” while speaking to media at the Paris Masters. “Anybody that has a semi-standard IQ level knows what this is all about,” he said, per ESPN.
The trial began on May 31, 2024 and was expected to run until July 19, 2024 but ended after just three days. On Friday, the Berlin Tiergarten District Court announced that Zverev and Patea had agreed to a settlement. Zverev was ordered to pay €200,000 ($217,846) out of whihc, €150,000 going to the state treasury and the remaining €50,000 to charitable institutions.
“The decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence,” the court told the BBC.
Zverev’s lawyers said he agreed to the settlement “solely in order to shorten the proceedings ,above all in the interests of their child,” adding that “Alexander Zverev is considered innocent. The dismissal does not constitute a finding of guilt or an admission of guilt.”
The second accusation
This was not the first time Zverev faced abuse allegations. In October 2020, former tennis player Olya Sharypova publicly came forward on Instagram accusing Zverev of abuse at multiple locations, including cities where ATP tournaments were held. In media interviews, she described multiple instances of violence, including Zverev allegedly punching her in the face and smothering her with a pillow. However, Zverev denied all allegations, per ESPN.
The ATP commissioned an independent investigation, which ran for 15 months and included interviews with Sharypova, Zverev and 24 others. In January 2023, the ATP announced it would not be taking disciplinary action. “A major independent investigation into Alexander Zverev has found insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse,” the ATP said, per Mens Journal.
“From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence and denied the baseless allegations made against me,” Zverev said in a statement at the time.
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Who is his current girlfriend?
He is currently in a relationship with Sophie Thomalla, a German model and television presenter who has openly expressed her affection for the tennis star in interviews and on social media, including posting photos of Zverev asleep with a dog, per Mens Journal.
Additionally, his former partner Brenda Patea, a model, gave birth to his only child, a daughter.
