"Today the line of respect was crossed" - Alexander Zverev on Brazilian fans during Davis Cup tie
Alexander Zverev defeated Thiago Monteiro to help Germany triumph in their 2022 Davis Cup qualifier against Brazil on Saturday. While speaking in his post-match press conference, however, the 24-year-old was unhappy with the behavior of some partisan Brazilian fans.
Zverev said the fans showed a lack of respect towards him and his family during the course of the match.
"When it gets towards your family members, or when it gets towards somebody that you love, this is where I draw the line of respect," he said. "Today that line was crossed. And (it happened) during basically every single game that we played."
Zverev saiu PUTO com a torcida brasileira hoje: 'Passaram do limite hoje' https://t.co/9dsDXpZUeK
Tennis journalist Jose Morgado also revealed that the name of Alexander Zverev's ex-girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, who has accused the German of domestic abuse and violence, was heard in the stands in Rio.
Zverev not happy with the Brazilian crowd. Looks like Olya’s name was heard a couple of times… twitter.com/tenisnewsbrasi…
In interviews with journalist Ben Rothenberg in 2020 and 2021, Sharypova revealed instances of domestic and physical abuse perpetrated by the World No. 3, who has since denied the allegations.
The second interview, published on Slate, was temporarily removed due to an emergency court injuction.
ATP still investigating domestic abuse allegations against Alexander Zverev
In a recent interview, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi revealed that investigations into domestic abuse allegations leveled against Alexander Zverev are still ongoing.
In October 2021, a year after the allegations were initially made by Sharypova, the ATP announced that it would be investigating the matter, with assistance from an independent third party.
“The investigation is ongoing," Gaudenzi said. "We have engaged an independent third party with expertise in this area to assist us in the investigative process. I cannot comment on the details of the investigation as of now, but I can say that we have more information available when the investigation is complete. I can say that this is all new territory for us as an organization. It has shown us areas in which we have some catching up to do and need to do more in the future."
After being disqualified from his last ATP event in Acapulco for unsportsmanlike conduct, Zverev will next take part in the two Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. The German still has a chance to become World No. 1 should he win both events.