The men’s professional tour said on Tuesday that German tennis player Alexander Zverev will not face disciplinary action after an investigation into allegations of domestic violence against him found “insufficient evidence” to support the allegations.
The ATP commissioned an investigation in October 2021 after Zverev’s ex-girlfriend, 2020 US Open finalist Olya Shrepova, was accused of abuse.
“Based on a lack of credible evidence and eyewitness reports, as well as conflicting statements from Sharipova, Zverev, and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate allegations of abuse or determine on-site ATP violations or player wrongdoing,” the league said in a statement. A respectable. »
Zverev, 25, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, has denied the charges. He is currently ranked 14th.
“I am grateful that this has finally been resolved and my priority now is to recover from my injury and focus on what I love most in this world, which is tennis,” Zverev said in a statement.
Although no disciplinary action was taken, the league said it would reassess the decision “if new evidence emerges or if legal action reveals violations of the ATP rules”.
The Illinois-based Lake Forest Group conducted the investigation for 15 months and included interviews with more than two dozen people and reviews of text messages, audio files, and photos provided by Shrepova and Zverev.
“This included material voluntarily removed from Zverev’s electronic devices by a third-party forensic expert,” the association said.
Insufficient evidence
The investigation focused primarily on allegations of abuse at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019, but also included “alleged misconduct in other locations, including Monaco, New York and Geneva,” as reported in public reports.
The governing body said investigators “ultimately found insufficient evidence to support published allegations of abuse.”
Massimo Calvelli, chief executive of the ATP, said the use of specialized investigators was “new ground” for the tour.
“Ultimately, we believe there is a need for a comprehensive process to reach an informed judgment,” he said in a prepared statement. “It also demonstrated the need for us to be more responsive when it comes to protection. That is why we have taken steps in this direction, with a lot of important work to be done.”
Zverev lost to Michael Moe in the second round of the Australian Open earlier in January.
