ATP decides against taking action against Alexander Zverev for abuse claims by ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova
Alexander Zverev was accused of emotional and physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova. However, the ATP had decided against taking action against the German after investigations found “insufficient evidence”.
FollowAlexander Zverev of Germany embroiled himself in a controversy in 2021 after his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova accused him of emotional and physical abuse during their relationship, including while on tour in 2019 during the Shanghai Masters, along with Monaco, New York, and Geneva opens. However, after 15 months of intense investigations, there was “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse”. After Lake Forest Group’s “exhaustive” investigative process, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) decided not to take any action against the German tennis star. The investigation included extended interviews with Sharypova and Zverev, along with family, friends and other players, besides scanning text messages, audio documents, and snapshots.
In its statement, ATP mentioned, “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 offences or player major offences rules took place. As a result, no disciplinary action against Zverev will be taken by ATP. However, this determination may be reevaluated should new evidence come to light or legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules. Zverev has consistently denied all allegations and supported ATP’s investigation.”
Speaking more on the same, ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli declared, “The seriousness and complexity of these allegations required a comprehensive 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 judgment. It has also shown the need for us to be more responsive in safeguarding matters. It is why we’ve taken steps in that direction, with a lot of important work still ahead,” Calvelli.
In the meantime, Zverev also released a personal statement that read, “From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence and denied the baseless allegations against me. I welcomed and fully cooperated with the ATP’s investigation and am grateful for the organisation’s time and attention in this matter. This decision marks a third, neutral, third-party judge who has reviewed all relevant information and made a clear and informed decision on this matter in my favour.”
“I am grateful that this is finally resolved, and my priority now is recovering from injury and concentrating on what I love most in this world – tennis. I want to thank my friends, family and fans for their ongoing support. We followed the long and difficult process, and justice has prevailed,” concluded Zverev.
