The Australian Open appears to be keeping its distance from Alexander Zverev’s upcoming domestic abuse trial, refusing to comment on the allegations as the German staged a narrow victory over Cameron Norrie on Monday.
Zverev, who edged past Norrie in a five-set thriller to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea and will go trial in May, the Berlin criminal court confirmed last week.
According to the court’s statement, the reigning Olympic champion is accused of ‘physically abusing a woman and damaging her health during an argument’. He also stands accused of choking her against a wall just days before proposing to her.
Throughout Zverev’s four-hour epic against the British No 1 in Melbourne, tournament officials, post-match interviewers and broadcasters refused to comment on the allegations or the trial.
After the match, as has been the case all tournament, Zverev enjoyed a light-hearted interview in front of the Margaret Court Arena crowd – and was asked only about Norrie’s performance, his father’s birthday and the importance of his formidable return of serve.
Alexander Zverev booked his place in the Australian Open quarter-finals after a five-set thriller
The German star edged past gutsy British No 1 Cameron Norrie, who lost in the final tiebreak
Zverev is facing trial over domestic abuse claims in May – allegations he denies. The 26-year-old athlete allegedly choked his ex-partner (above) just days before proposing to her
Meanwhile, the Australian Open’s official social media channel on X chose not to post about the upcoming trial during Monday’s coverage of the fourth round clash.
The 26-year-old tennis star, who denies the claims, was given a penalty order by the court and fined €450,000 (£385,000) in October last year.
Penalty orders in Germany are given out for lesser crimes when a judge believes the case is straightforward and therefore does not need to go to trial. In order to stand by his denial of the allegations and maintain the presumption of innocence, Zverev contested the order – which is why he now faces trial.
Lisa Jani, a spokesperson for the court, revealed that Zverev may not be required to appear in court in person, unless the judge orders the German to testify. The charge holds a maximum sentence of five years in prison, although jail time is believed to be ‘highly unlikely’ due to the nature of the penalty order.
Zverev’s lawyers, Schertz Bergmann, branded the proceedings ‘scandalous’ and urged that ‘there can be no question of a fair trial’.
Zverev will take on Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight on the tournament
Zverev’s lawyers have reportedly worked hard to quash media reports of the trial and claims
After winning in the first round, Zverev snapped back at a reporter after they brought up his domestic abuse allegations. He also lost his temper for the same reason back in November
His legal representatives have also worked hard to quash media reports of the trial and allegations, according to German outlet DW.
A German newspaper called Suddeutsche Zeitung was forced to remove an article of theirs featuring an interview with Zverev’s former partner, as it was proven by the law firm that the story went beyond ‘the limits of permissible suspicious reporting’.
To make matters worse for Zverev, his trial may well coincide with the French Open, which is set to be held across May and June.
In the weeks leading up to the Australian Open, the ATP revealed that the German was to become the newest member of their Player Council, a body which is voted for by players across world tennis.
Although it has only happened occasionally this tournament, Zverev has provided reporters with curt and hot-tempered responses when quizzed about the allegations he is facing – and whether he deserves a place on the ATP Player Council.
Following his first round win over Dominik Koepfer, the 26-year-old snapped back at a reporter when asked whether he should be playing at all.
‘Yeah, some journalists are saying that, those who are actually interested more in this story to write about and getting clicks than the actual truth,’ Zverev replied.
At a press conference in November, the tennis star also referred to the penalty order as utter nonsense.
Biting back at reporters, Zverev said: ‘Anybody that has semi-standard IQ levels knows what this is all about’.
During his post-match interview in front on the crowd, Zverev was asked about Norrie’s performance, his father’s birthday and the importance of his formidable return of serve
It has been a theme for Australian Open organisers, who have not risked addressing the claims
Meanwhile, all athletes who have been asked about Zverev’s situation at the Australian Open have refused to comment.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was eliminated in the fourth round by American Taylor Fritz, declined to remark upon Zverev’s allegations when asked about them.
Dodging the question, the Greek said: ‘I’m completely unfamiliar with it. I have nothing to comment on it.’
Norrie echoed Tsitsipas’ response by evading the question ahead of his five-set thriller against the German, urging that it was ‘tough to comment’ on the trial due to his limited understanding of the case and its details.
For now, the Australian Open are choosing to turn a blind eye on Zverev’s trial and will not risk tweeting or posting about it on social media. But now the German is one of eight men’s singles players left in the competition, the dark cloud cannot be ignored for too much longer.
