Alexander Zverev has just started his Australian Open 2026 campaign.

While the world No. 3’s strong on-court performances have garnered plenty of attention in the past years, there has also been a heavy focus on Zverev’s trial over domestic abuse allegations.

Before the 2024 Australian Open, a district court in Germany announced that the German star would face a public trial to answer accusations of physically abusing his former partner.

Zverev has continued to deny the allegations, with a settlement reached in June last year.

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Alexander Zverev reaches ‘out-of-court settlement’ following assault case

Zverev settled his domestic violence case with ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea in June 2024, as reported by DW News‘ Jonathan Crane.

The “out-of-court settlement” was revealed the morning of his semi-final at Roland-Garros.

The tennis star agreed to pay fines of €150,000 to the state and €50,000 to charity.

Zverev was accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend in a Berlin apartment.

There has been no admission of guilt by the German player.

Alexander Zverev domestic violence allegations timeline

In October 2020, Zverev was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova. He denied those claims on Instagram, saying that her “unfounded allegations” were “simply not true”.

Sharypova subsequently conducted two interviews with journalist Ben Rothenberg, which were published in November 2020 and August 2021, respectively. 

The alleged assaults included Zverev punching her in the face, covering her face with a pillow until she struggled to breathe and pushing her against a wall.

In October 2021, the ATP — male tennis’ governing body — announced an investigation into those allegations. Zverev again denied any wrongdoing.

That ATP investigation took place over 15 months before it was closed in January 2023. Zverev was not sanctioned, with the body citing insufficient evidence.

Zverev subsequently issued a statement maintaining his innocence and welcoming the ATP’s findings.

Fresh allegations against Zverev of domestic violence against a different ex-partner emerged in 2023, with the 26-year-old ordered by a Berlin court in November to pay a €450,000 fine.

Former partner Brenda Patea alleged in an interview with a German newspaper that she was pushed into a wall and choked in May 2020.

Zverev denied those charges and lodged an objection against the penalty order, which under German law means a public trial must take place.

In a statement released when the penalty order was issued, Zverev’s lawyers said the evidence had been dismissed as “incomprehensible and contradictory” by a medical report.

Zverev’s hearing began on May 31, 2024, which overlapped with the French Open that year.

The tournament started on May 26 and ran until June 9.

However, he was not required to appear at the trial in person.

This is because the ATP Tour rulebook does not feature a policy for player punishments for domestic violence charges.

According to The Athletic, the rulebook allows for a provisional suspension if a player is charged with a civil or criminal offense “contrary to the integrity of the Game of Tennis”, although that policy was not been implemented.

The hearing was expected to continue into July and potentially clash with Wimbledon, but with the case settled, the trial ended early.

Alexander Zverev questioned over ATP Player Council position

Zverev was announced as a new member of the ATP’s Player Advisory Council at the start of 2024. He was elected by his peers on the tour, alongside nine other members.

The main responsibility of the council is to make recommendations to tour management and the ATP board.

His position on the council while he faces domestic violence allegations was questioned by journalists at last year’s Australian Open.

“Why would it not be?” Zverev said when asked if it was appropriate to be on the Player Advisory Council. 

“Nobody has said anything to me. I don’t have a reason not to believe that.”