The ATP has decided to take no disciplinary action against the German tennis player Alexander Zverev after a 15-month independent investigation found “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse”.
Zverev, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and world No 14, had been accused by his former Russian girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, of being emotionally and physically abusive during their relationship, including at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019 and in Monaco, New York and Geneva.
However on Tuesday the ATP confirmed it would take no action following an “exhaustive” process conducted by the investigators Lake Forest Group. It said that LFG had not only conducted extensive interviews with both Sharypova and Zverev, and 24 others including family, friends and other tennis players, but examined submissions including text messages, audio files, and photographs.
“Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse, or determine that violations of ATP’s on-site offenses or player major offenses rules took place,” the ATP said.
“As a result, no disciplinary action against Zverev will be taken by ATP. This determination may however be reevaluated should new evidence come to light, or should any legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules. Zverev has consistently denied all allegations and supported ATP’s investigation.”
Sharypova, a former tennis player, alleged in 2020 that Zverev attempted to strangle her with a pillow and hit her head against a wall at a New York hotel before the US Open in 2019. She said she feared for her life at the time.
She also accused Zverev of being manipulative in their relationship, and using his status against her. Zverev has denied the allegations and said he would support the introduction of a domestic violence policy by the men’s professional tour.
In a statement that accompanied the announcement, the chief executive of the ATP, Massimo Calvelli, said: “The seriousness and complexity of these allegations required an extremely thorough investigative process and considerable resources. It also required us to turn to specialist investigators, which was new ground for ATP.
“We ultimately believe the exhaustive process was necessary to reach an informed judgement. It has also shown the need for us to be more responsive on safeguarding matters. It is the reason we’ve taken steps in that direction, with a lot of important work still ahead.”
