There’s an elephant in the room tennis, The efforts of organizations surrounding sports to act as if nothing had happened are beginning to fail. (Almost) everyone tries to stay away from this issue as if it doesn’t exist, but there is no one who doesn’t keep it in mind. Four years after being accused by ex-girlfriend Olga Sharipova was harassed during an argument Berlin in 2020 Alexander Zverev, The world number six continues to make regular appearances at each of the tournaments on the calendar, but recent action has once again focused on a case that the heroes of the circuit have avoided of late.
Last October the British media Guardian reported this Zverev, 26, He was sentenced to pay by the German court 450,000 euro fine for bodily injury It was caused by his ex-girlfriend. The fine was decided as follows: sanction orderIt is a judicial concept stipulated in German legislation to avoid going to court in cases where it is interpreted that the evidence that the crime has been committed is sufficient. One of the tennis player’s lawyers will force both parties to go to court in the middle of Roland Garros on May 31 (he can testify by video conference).
However, the sanction imposed on Zverev did not prevent his teammates from choosing him as their representative along with three other tennis players. Player CouncilThe body responsible for safeguarding the interests of players ATP circuit. A decision announced on last January 8Just a few days before the hearing date was announced, broad wave Until the first Grand Slam of the year Australian Open.
Since the date is known, Zverev’s press conferences have become monothematic, with uncomfortable conversations and moments of tension between the press and the player who has always defended his ability to remain in office despite the conviction. “Why not?” He always answered the questions of displaced journalists, for whom the Germans’ closedness was not enough.
“Believes he has the trust of his colleagues Continuing in this role?” they insisted. “Yes, I think so. Nobody said anything to me. I have no reason not to believe this (…). Some journalists are more interested Get clicks with your news “I want to address this issue rather than find out the truth,” he said last Tuesday, visibly disturbed by questions from those in Australia.
The silence of your friends
Colleagues of the German who are current clients have also been contacted and questioned about the case, but so far none have decided to deviate from the path set by Zverev. between “I’m good at playing tennis, but I’m not good at making political decisions.” From Minaur’s facilities “I try not to read too much press, I don’t really know what it is.” Passing through Dimitrov “I won’t say anything, I’m not familiar with the situation.” Tsitsipas or “I haven’t had much time to think about it.” According to Ruud, all male tennis players chose the same type of response to avoid controversy.
Only Iga SwiatekThe number one on the women’s tour dared to go one step further. After pausing to consider your answer and reassuring first Not knowing “what the outcome of the investigation will be”The Pole openly admitted: “It is not a good thing for a player facing such accusations to be promoted.”
Criticisms towards Netflix
Australian Open decides for itself Limit Zverev’s exposure as much as possible They only report match results on their social networks and channels and avoid uploading any videos with highlights like other players. netflix, who chose Zverev as one of the protagonists of the second season of his documentary, despite the lawsuit. Breaking pointA series that shows the daily lives of tennis players behind the scenes.
HE devi streaming We devoted an entire episode to the German player, who suffered a serious ankle injury during the semi-final. Roland Garros against Rafael Nadaland there was never any mention of criminal charges against him or complaints of sexist violence.
“He’s obviously made a great comeback after serious injury This is a great storybut it seems like they’re just trying to increase the number of people they dedicate each episode to, it only shows the good“Taylor Fritz, the protagonist of the first season of the series, admitted this a few days before she wanted to directly address the harassment case.