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Murray: ATP Tour needs to address Zverev domestic abuse allegations

Andy Murray says the US Open needs to take a more proactive approach regarding the abuse allegati...
Richie McCormack
Richie McCormack

20.18 29 Sep 2021


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Murray: ATP Tour needs to addr...

Murray: ATP Tour needs to address Zverev domestic abuse allegations

Richie McCormack
Richie McCormack

20.18 29 Sep 2021


Share this article


Andy Murray says the US Open needs to take a more proactive approach regarding the abuse allegations facing Alexander Zverev. 

The German is ranked no.4 in the world, won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and was a semi-finalist at this year's French Open.

Late last year, Zverev's former partner Olga Sharypova accused him of physical and emotional abuse.

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Sharypova told journalist Ben Rothenburg that emotional abuse turned physical the week before the 2019 US Open.

During an argument, the Russian told Rothenburg, "I was screaming, and because of that he threw me down onto the bed, took a pillow, and then sat on my face.

"I couldn’t breathe for some time, and I’m just trying to get out of it. I’m screaming and started to run."

She claimed the first instance of physical abuse from Zverev occurred in Monaco.

"I was going to leave because we had a really big fight. I was standing in the hallway, and he hit my head into the wall," Sharypova revealed.

In another instance in Geneva, she told Rothenburg, "In that fight he punched me in the face for the first time", adding, "In other fights he was pushing me, shoving me, twisting my arms, choking me. But this was the first time he punched me, really punched me."

This followed a cycle of emotional abuse where Sharypova claimed, "I was always blamed as the reason he competed badly, it was because of me. I was the reason for all his losses. To him, I was the reason for all his problems."

Zverev denied the allegations, describing them as "unfounded" and "simply not true".

The ATP Tour has never directly addressed the allegations, but did announce a review of its "safeguarding" policies relating to domestic abuse.

But in a conversation with Inside Tennis, Andy Murray feels the tour needs to do more.

"My feeling is still that, you know, the tour…needs to…be more proactive in dealing with situations like that, or allegations like that, because… The way that it’s [been] handled hasn’t been good for anyone," the former Wimbledon champion said.

"I don’t think it’s been great for the tour. I don’t think it’s been great for Zverev, because you know, unless it gets addressed head-on, it’s just going to be lingering, and, like you say, the questions will continue to be getting asked.

"Like, I spoke about it at Wimbledon, and now here, what is it, three months later, and I’m still getting asked about it.

"So, obviously, it’s not been properly addressed, and until that happens, then players are going to continue to get asked about it.

"The broadcasters are invariably going to be talking about it. So… I don’t know what advice Zverev will be getting… and I don’t know how you should handle that if you are in that situation or in that position.

"It’s difficult, but, certainly, it’s been going on too long… It needs to get resolved, clearly."

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