The 2025 Australian Open runner-up, Alexander Zverev, was forced to address abuse allegations after a protestor brought them to light during the German player’s trophy presentation ceremony.
Throughout his Australian Open campaign, as coverage was increasingly focused on heralding the pro player as the emerging favourite, the cloud of controversy hanging over Zverev became impossible to ignore. Especially when the discourse surrounding the world No. 2 and member of the Player Advisory Council, seemed to be continually, perhaps conveniently, devoid of any mention of the sort.
Even as Zverev progressed through to the finals against Jannik Sinner on January 26, it seemed as if the serious allegations were going to, once again, be swept to the sidelines.
That was, until one brave woman decided to end the deafening silence during the trophy presentation ceremony. Now, she’s spoken out on the incident.

Speaking with tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg on his site Bounces, the woman, who chose to go by a fake name, Nina, for privacy reasons, revealed as a fan of the sport she felt she couldn’t stay silent.
“I love this sport,” Nina says. “I don’t love its apathy to these important topics.”
“All night, people were cheering ‘Sascha! Sascha! Sascha!’ It was gross. He may try to bully people—ATP, journos, whomever—into quashing the story. But I wanted him to know that tennis fans know and we care about those women. And we fucking believe them.” [Editors Note: at the time of publishing no official charges have been laid against Zverev and he denies the allegations.]
She also revealed she’d planned to startegically place herself near the media pit in order to increase her chances of being heard.
“I decided at match point I’d come down to the ‘Melbourne’ sign end, ‘cause I know where the media seats are—I wanted to be close enough to you all to hopefully hear me,” she said. “And I wanted Olya’s and Brenda’s names to be heard in that arena.”
For those who missed the finals, Nina’s cries occured as Zverev prepared to give his runner-up speech. She called out from the crowd “Australia believes Olga and Brenda” repeatedly until she was escorted out of the venue by security.
The protester was referring to Olga Sharypova and Brenda Patea, two women whose relationships with Zverev have allegedly been marked by horrific abuse claims.
After the incident he continued to accept his trophy and praise his finals partner, Sinner, making no mention of the interruption. But when asked about the comments in a post-match press conference, the player replied:
“I believe there has been no more accusations. There haven’t been for, what, nine months now,” he said.
“Good for her. I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment. If that’s the case, good for her,” before adding: “I think I’ve done everything I can, I’m not about to open that subject again.”
What Is Zverev Accused Of?
For those not familiar with the Alexander Zverev domestic abuse allegations – all of which he vehemently denies and has not been formally charged with – here’s a breakdown of the multiple claims made against the player who nearly took out the 2025 Australian Open.
October 2020: Olga Sharypova Accuses Zverev Of Domestic Violence

On October 28, 2020, former tennis player and ex-girlfriend of Zverev, Olga Sharypova, posted a photo of herself to Instagram accompanied by a caption that alleged she had been a victim of domestic abuse.
At the time, the translated caption read: “I have been beaten and will not be silent anymore,” but left out any direct mention of her perpetrator.
Later that day, Russian website Championat published an interview with Sharypova, in which she alleged her abuser was Alexander Zverev, who she’d been in a relationship with since 2018.
In the article, Sharypova recalls the terrifying events that took place in August 2019, just days before the US Open.
Sharypova described an incident that occurred after she and her friend were “a little late” returning to their hotel, prompting an argument between her and Zverev.
“We always had fights out of nowhere. I wrote on Instagram that he tried to suffocate me with a pillow, twisted my arms. I tried to run out of the room several times, but he didn’t let me,” she explained.
After managing to break free and hiding elsewhere in the hotel, Sharypova recalled Zverev (who she refers to by his moniker, Sasha) finding her and trying to convince her to return to the room.
“I was scared and I wanted to run away. But Sasha pushed me into the wall and said that nothing would happen to him for this. And that no one would care about me, no matter what he did to me.”
After managing to escape again, she sheltered at a friend’s place until a day later when she was convinced to speak with Zverev in the company of others. After which, the pair reunited.
She went on to support him during the US Open and his subsequent matches in Geneva and China, before the couple eventually broke up.
In the Championat interview, she stated that she wasn’t ready to talk about the breakup, but revealed that it was “a very long story, in which many people are already involved.”
At the time Alexander Zverev responded to the allegations shared in the Instagram post and subsequent interview as “simply not true.”
August 2021: Sharypova Shares More Details Of Abuse

Nearly a year after her first allegations were made public, Sharypova agreed to an interview with journalist Ben Rothenberg for Racquet (now published on Slate), where she outlined further incidences of alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of Zverev.
She said that his controlling and possessive behaviour had first turned violent months before the New York incident, but it was in Geneva, where she was accompanying him to the Laver Cup, when things escalated.
Sharypova alleged that it was there that Zverev punched her in the face, causing her to feel so isolated and distraught that she attempted to take her own life by injecting herself with insulin.
“I injected it, and I wasn’t scared; I just wanted to leave in some way, because I can’t stand it anymore,” she told Rothenberg.
She explained that Zverev sought out a Laver Cup official who convinced her to open the door to the bathroom she’d locked herself in, after which she was provided with medical assistance.
Shortly after the article went live, attorneys for Zverev issued a cease-and-desist letter stating that the inquiry was “based on obviously incorrect assumptions and insinuations.”
At the time Sharypova made it clear that she would not pursue criminal or civil action against her alleged perpetrator
How Did The ATP Respond To The Alexander Zverev Allegations?
In October 2021, Tennis’s governing body, ATP, announced it would be conducting an independent and comprehensive review of its safeguarding policies after Sharypova’s allegations against Alexander Zverev came to light.
15-months later, the ATP released a statement that read: “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.”
Responding to the ATP’s findings, Zverev said “From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence and denied the baseless allegations made against me.”
“I welcomed and fully cooperated with the ATP’s investigation and am grateful for the organization’s time and attention in this matter,” he continued.
Zverev never had to face any disciplinary action and was allowed to continue playing throughout the entire investigation.
October 2023: Zverev Accused Of Physical Abuse By Brenda Patea

In October 2023, Zverev was forced to deny claims of “physically abusing and damaging the health” of his ex-partner and mother to his young child, Brenda Patea.
The lawsuit, filed in Germany, outlined an incident that occurred in May 2020 where following a “heated argument” Zverev pushed Patea against a wall and strangled her with both hands.
The incident, as reported in The Guardian, caused Patea to have “difficulty swallowing and breathing for several days afterwards.”
On October 2, Zverev was issued with a penalty order by a court in Germany that ordered him to pay a fine of €450,000 for the charges of bodily harm against Patea.
Alexander Zverev denied the allegations and responded by filing an appeal against the decision, which led to a trial in May 31, 2024.
But after two days, the trial was shut down after it was revealed the two had reached a settlement that provided a “peaceful resolution” to the assault case with no acknowledgment of guilt from Zverev.
As part of the settlement, Zverev agreed to pay €200,000, which was, according to a court spokesperson, split between the state and charitable organisations.
Shortly after the settlement was announced, Zverev’s legal team responded to the court’s decision, sharing: “Alexander Zverev agreed to this settlement to put a quick end to the proceedings – above all in the interest of their child,” read the statement.
“The settlement includes no determination or admission of guilt. The presumption of innocence remains.”
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