The Association of Tennis Professionals announced an investigation Monday into domestic abuse allegations against Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev by ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova.
The internal investigation comes just after the ATP finished a report on improving its abuse and domestic violence policies.
“The allegations raised against Alexander Zverev are serious and we have a responsibility to address them,” Massimo Calvelli, the ATP chief executive, said in a statement. “We hope our investigation will allow us to establish the facts and determine appropriate follow-up action. We understand Zverev welcomes our investigation and acknowledge that he has denied all allegations. We will also be monitoring any further legal developments following the preliminary injunction obtained by Zverev in the German Courts.”
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The first report of abuse came last October. Sharypova spoke about the abuse again in November and then most recently in a Slate article in August. In her reports, Sharypova details emotional and physical abuse by Zverev in hotel rooms in 2019. Zverev has issued legal proceedings against Slate, claiming the story was not true. He has denied all allegations.
The ATP initially said it would only investigate the allegations if legal proceedings were filed. However, it is specifically looking at an incident in Shanghai, where Sharypova alleges she was attacked by Zverev in their hotel room. She also said she tried to take her own life after the attack for a second time by injecting insulin.
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In response to the announcement of an investigation, Zverev said he continues to deny all allegations and welcomed the new policy.
“I have always been in full support of the creation of an ATP domestic violence policy,” Zverev said. “Moreover, I welcome the ATP investigation in the matter and have been asking the ATP to initiate an independent investigation for months.”
