The ATP announced on Tuesday that it would not take sanctions against German tennis player Alexander Zverev, accused by his former partner of violence, considering in a press release that there was “insufficient evidence”. The organizers of the men’s professional circuit launched an investigation in October 2021 into allegations of physical and psychological violence made by former Russian junior player Olga Sharypova, Zverev’s ex-girlfriend.
One of the charges against the world number 4 referred to alleged acts of violence during the Shanghai Masters 1000 in 2019. The player had always vehemently denied having been violent towards Sharypova, who did not had not formally lodged a complaint against the German, and the ATP underlined its cooperation with the investigation.
Expanded survey
Entrusted to a private investigator agency, the report submitted to the ATP “although it was initially to focus on the alleged violence during the Shanghai Masters 1000 in 2019, had seen its scope also widened to inappropriate behavior in d “other places, including Monaco, New York and Geneva, mentioned in press articles”, underlined the organization. Sharypova, Zverev and 24 other people from the private or professional entourage of the protagonists were heard during the investigations which lasted fifteen months.
Elements provided by Sharypova and Zverev – the latter had given the investigators his electronic devices for independent scientific expertise – including instant messages, audio files or photos, were peeled by the investigators. But “based on the absence of reliable evidence or testimony, as well as contradictory statements by Sharypova, Zverev and other interviewees, investigators could not establish that the accusations of violence were founded” , writes the ATP.
“For these reasons, no disciplinary proceedings will be taken by the ATP against Zverev,” the body concluded in its statement. “The seriousness and complexity of the charges required an extremely thorough investigation process and considerable resources. It also required that we turn to specialized investigators, which was a first for the ATP, ”said its general manager Massimo Calvelli.