The ATP has decided to take no disciplinary action against Alexander Zverev after a 15-month independent investigation found “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse”.
Zverev, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and world No 14, had been accused by his former girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, of being emotionally and physically abusive during their relationship, including at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in 2019 and in Monaco, New York and Geneva.
The ATP confirmed on Tuesdayit would take no action after an “exhaustive” process conducted by the investigators Lake Forest Group. It said LFG had not only conducted extensive interviews with Sharypova and Zverev, and 24 others including family, friends and other players, but examined submissions including text messages, audio files, and photographs.
“Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse, or determine that violations of ATP’s on-site offences or player major offenses rules took place,” the ATP said.
“As a result, no disciplinary action against Zverev will be taken by ATP. This determination may however be reevaluated should new evidence come to light, or should any legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules. Zverev has consistently denied all allegations and supported ATP’s investigation.”
Sharypova, a former player, alleged in 2020 that Zverev attempted to strangle her with a pillow and hit her head against a wall at a New York hotel before the US Open in 2019. She said she feared for her life at the time.
She also accused Zverev of being manipulative in their relationship and using his status against her. Zverev has denied the allegations and said he would support the introduction of a domestic violence policy by the men’s professional tour.
The chief executive of the ATP, Massimo Calvelli, said: “The seriousness and complexity of these allegations required an extremely thorough investigative process and considerable resources. It also required us to turn to specialist investigators, which was new ground for ATP.
“We ultimately believe the exhaustive process was necessary to reach an informed judgment. It has also shown the need for us to be more responsive on safeguarding matters. It is the reason we’ve taken steps in that direction, with a lot of important work still ahead.”
In a statement, Zverev insisted that justice had prevailed. “From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence and denied the baseless allegations made against me,” he said. “I welcomed and fully cooperated with the ATP’s investigation and am grateful for the organisation’s time and attention in this matter.
“This decision marks a third, neutral, third-party arbiter who has reviewed all relevant information and made a clear and informed decision on this matter in my favour.”
He added: “I am grateful that this is finally resolved and my priority now is recovering from injury and concentrating on what I love most in this world – tennis. I want to thank my friends, family and fans for their ongoing support. We followed the long and difficult process and justice has prevailed.”
