Alexander Zverev Called Out for Domestic Violence Allegations During Runner-Up Speech at Australian Open

Mar. 15, 2025

Alexander Zverev speaks at the trophy ceremony at the 2025 Australian Open.Photo:Andy Cheung/Getty

Andy Cheung/Getty

“Australia believes Olya and Brenda!” the audience member shouted, referring to Zverev’s former partners, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea,The Athleticreported. They repeated the same phrase three times, per the AP.

According toThe New York Times-owned sports outlet, the athlete smiled to himself as a mixture of applause and booing arose throughout the Melbourne stadium. After a brief pause, he began his runner-up speech, in which he elected not to acknowledge the heckler.

Alexander Zverev speaks at the trophy ceremony at the 2025 Australian Open.Andy Cheung/Getty

Zverev did, however, address the interruption in a news conference that followed the ceremony, stating that he is not “open” to discussing the allegations moving forward. “I believe there are no more accusations,” he said, perThe Athletic. “There haven’t been for, what, nine months now.”

The tennis star then addressed the heckler’s comment that “Australia believes” his exes’ allegations more directly, stating, “Good for her, I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment.”

“I think I’ve done everything I can, and I’m not about to open that subject again,” he concluded.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The pro athlete denied Sharypova’s allegations, calling them “unfounded,” according to BBC Sports. And though Sharapova did not take any legal action, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) conducted its own investigation against Zverev, and found “insufficient evidence” of her claims, per the British outlet.

Alexander Zverev plays in the 2025 Australian Open.Andy Cheung/Getty

In 2023, Patea, with whom Zverev shares a child, also leveled abuse allegations at the pro athlete, accusing him of pushing her against a wall and choking her, perThe Athletic. He denied all of the allegations.

Patea brought charges against Zverev in Berlin’s Tiergarten court and in October of that year, a judge imposed a penalty order of $489,000 on the tennis star, which he later appealed, according to the sports outlet. This led to a public trial that began in May 2024, and was slated to run during the French Open and Wimbledon, but was subsequently settled out of court.

At the time, a spokesperson for the Berlin court made a statement clarifying that the decision to settle “is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence,”The Athleticreported.

Zverev is currently in a relationship withSophia Thomalla.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com