Alexander Zverev Fined £390k Over Ex-Girlfriend's Abuse Claims

German tennis star Alexander Zverev has been issued a penalty order and slapped with a hefty fine by a German court as a result of allegations of physical abuse that were lodged against him by an ex-girlfriend.

The 26-year-old tennis player has been ordered to pay 450,000 euros (£390,000). For those unfamiliar, a German penalty order is given by a judge after the examination of evidence submitted in connection with a case. The penalty order is given when the judge believes a ruling can be made without going to trial.

However, the defendant has the right to contest the penalty order. It is understood that Zverev and his legal team plan to do that, which could mean that his case could go to public trial.

What is Zverev accused of?

Recent media reports are stating that the penalty order came after the Olympic gold medalist was accused of physically abusing his former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, during an argument in Berlin in May 2020.

However, this is not the only complaint brought forward by Zverev's ex. Earlier reports from 2020 also point to allegations made by Sharypova in relation to several other incidents of abuse, including one that took place in New York during the US Open in 2019.

On her Instagram, Sharypova wrote, "I want to tell one very personal and very hard story for me that I have already experienced and left in the past. I was a victim of domestic abuse! The first time this happened at the beginning of this relationship, there was a quarrel and I got hit with my head against the wall with so much power that I sat on the floor," she started.

Her revelations continued and she appeared to refer to an incident that took place during last year's US Open, a year before Zverev made it to the final of the same tournament. "In August of that year, I ran out of the hotel barefoot. I was standing on the streets of New York and didn't know where to go and what to do. They tried to choke me with a pillow, hit my head against the wall, twisted my hands and at that moment I was really afraid for my life," she said.

In an interview with Russian publication Championat, Sharypova claims that the quarrel started after she returned to the hotel late after going out with Daria Medvedeva, the wife of another tennis player, Daniil Medvedev.

Earlier this year, the ATP tour launched an investigation into the allegations and deemed that there was "insufficient evidence" to bring disciplinary action against the German. The sport's governing body has assured that the decision will be re-evaluated if any new evidence is brought forward.

Zverev denies the allegations and intends to fight to clear his name

Zverev continues to deny the allegations of physical and emotional abuse brought by Sharypova and has already lodged an objection to the penalty order. He remains legally innocent and is so far not convicted in the case until a final ruling is made possibly after a public trial.

Speaking to the press during the Paris Masters on Wednesday, Zverev confirmed that he is determined to fight. "I'm going against it [penalty order]. I'm not going to comment on that to be honest because there is a procedure still to come," he said.

Meanwhile, Zverev's legal team under the firm Schertz Bergmann also released a statement earlier this week stating that a forensic medical report by a doctor in Berlin has stated that the evidence provided by Sharypova has been dismissed on the grounds of being "incomprehensible and contradictory".

Zverev's team is also claiming that the process leading to the penalty order included "serious procedural violations".