Alexander Zverev defamation lawsuit update in domestic abuse case: Journalist confirms rescheduled date of hearing
The hearing of Alexander Zverev's defamation lawsuit against prominent tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg has been rescheduled. The journalist himself recently confirmed the rescheduled hearing date.
The journalist's legal troubles with Zverev began in 2021 after two of his published stories on the German surfaced controversial allegations from the World No. 2's ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova. The Russian told Rothenberg that she had been both physically and emotionally abused by Zverev on multiple occasions.
Alexander Zverev denied all the allegations and later took legal action against Rothenberg and the platforms that published his stories. Earlier this year, the journalist took to crowdfunding to keep his legal fight against the German going, and faced ridicule from many of Zverev's fans for doing so. Former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson was a notable high-profile name that donated money to Rothenberg.
Recently, Rothenberg took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that the Berlin court hearing the defamation lawsuit has rescheduled the next session. The journalist's post also featured a screenshot of the official court order.
"Update for folks interested in the case: The planned hearing this Friday in Berlin has been delayed due to a request from Zverev’s side. Rescheduled for January 20th, 2025," Rothenberg wrote.
Earlier this year, Zverev himself was embroiled in a legal battle over domestic violence charges filed by Brenda Patea, another former partner of the German. However, the public trial ended with an out-of-court settlement, which was intitiated by Zverev's side.
At the 2024 Australian Open, Alexander Zverev expressed his dismay at being asked about the now-concluded trial by a reporter during a post-match press conference.
"I just played four hours, 40 minutes" - Alexander Zverev's flustered response to reporter over domestic abuse trial at Australian Open 2024
Alexander Zverev survived a major scare in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open. The German, seeded sixth in the year's first Grand Slam, was taken to five sets by an unseeded Lukas Klein. However, Zverev eventually held his own to progress to the third round.
After the match, the 23-time ATP Tour-level titlist was asked if he would be attending his domestic abuse trial in Germany in person. Zverev was not impressed with the question, and reminded the reporter about the four-hour-40-minute marathon that he had just finished playing.
"Wow. hat’s a question. I just played four hours, 40 minutes. That’s not the first question I really want to hear, to be honest. I’ve got no idea," Zverev said.
On the tennis front, 2024 was a successful year for Zverev, as the German finished it as the World No. 2, ahead of reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, and also won two Masters 1000s (Italian Open and Rolex Paris Masters). However, the German could not break his Grand Slam duck, falling short at the last hurdle at Roland Garros to Alcaraz.