Alexander Zverev won’t play again until Saturday at the French Open when he takes on Tallon Griekspoor. However, on Friday, he will face a different kind of court as his domestic abuse trial begins. This situation adds an off-court challenge for the player amid his tournament run.
A Berlin court will on Friday start to hear an appeal from Alexander Zverev against a penalty order issued for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea. As he is currently competing at Roland Garros, and with the trial expected to last until at least Wimbledon, it is likely that Zverev will not attend any of the court dates.
The World No. 4, Alexander Zverev, was issued a 450,000 euro fine in October but has appealed the ruling. The 27-year-old indicated last week that he would skip the opening of the proceedings. “I believe in the German system. I do believe in the truth, as well. I do know what I did, I do know what I didn’t do. That’s, at the end of the day, what’s going to come out, and I have to trust in that,” he told reporters in a simple answer last week. He has consistently maintained his innocence
“I do believe that I’m not going to lose this procedure. There’s absolutely no chance I am. That’s why I can play calmly,” Zverev stated.Throughout the trial build-up, there has been much conjecture about whether he should be playing at all. Some have called on the ATP to enact a domestic abuse policy to ban players until such issues are resolved. Such a policy would have prevented Zverev from competing. This debate intensified during his high-profile win over Rafael Nadal, with many expressing unease about the situation. The fact that it involved Nadal, a beloved figure in the sport, only added fuel to the fire.
Not ordered to appear personally in Berlin, Alexander Zverev’s alleged victim, Brenda Patea, has been invited to give testimony at the start of the trial, which has a mid-July end date. Zverev is accused of briefly choking Patea, who is the mother of his child, causing her difficulty breathing and significant pain as a result.