Alexander Zverev to stand trial in assault case in May, but will not have to appear in court
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Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev will stand trial for alleged assault in Berlin in late May but will not have to appear in court in person, German news agency dpa reported Monday.
The 26-year-old Zverev, who is competing at the Australian Open this week, is accused of assaulting a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020. Zverev has denied the accusation.
A court in Berlin issued a penalty order in October ordering Zverev to pay fines amounting to 450,000 euros ($493,000), but the player contested the ruling which meant the case went to trial instead. Penalty orders are used in Germany as a means of resolving some criminal cases without going to trial, if the suspect does not contest the order.
The dpa news agency said Zverev’s trial will start on May 31, which is during this year’s French Open. However, dpa cited a court spokesperson who said he will not need to make a personal appearance and can be represented by a lawyer.
The men’s tennis tour ruled last January that Zverev would not face disciplinary action after its own investigation into domestic abuse allegations against him found “insufficient evidence” to substantiate the claims.
Zverev was a finalist at the U.S. Open in 2020, won the men’s singles Olympic gold medal in 2021 and is sixth in the rankings. He will face fellow German Dominik Koepfer in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.
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“I have Grand Slam, Alexander Zverev has Olympic games, I think Grand Slam is a bigger title” – Daniil Medvedev
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Daniil Medvedev was recently shown speaking about his rivalry with Alexander Zverev and explaining why the two could not be the best of friends.
Both players have been among the world’s best over the past few years, and have attained a lot of success in their respective careers so far. They both also featured in the Netflix tennis docuseries Break Point, where Medvedev spoke about his rivalry with Zverev.
The former World No. 1 said it was impossible for the two to be best friends because of the competition involved. He also spoke about their achievements, claiming that while the Olympics, which Zverev won in 2021, was amazing, a Grand Slam, which Medvedev won the same year at the US Open, was “bigger.”
“I don’t think I played against anyone more than Sascha but we can’t be like best friends. It’s impossible. Too much competition. He has Olympic Games. I have Grand Slam. I do think Grand Slam is a bigger title even if Olympic games are amazing,” Daniil Medvedev said.
The 27-year-old added that both he and Zverev wanted to win and “destroy each other” on the court.
“We have been rivals for ten years. On the court, we want to still win and destroy each other. I’m very competitive, always want to win, always,” Medvedev said.
Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are seeded third and sixth respectively at the 2024 Australian Open.
Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev have locked horns 18 times
Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev have faced each other 18 times so far, with the Russian leading 11-7 in the head-to-head.
The first clash between the two came in the second round of the 2016 St. Petersburg Open, where Zverev triumphed 6-3, 7-5. He went on to win the tournament by beating Stan Wawrinka in the final.
The German won the first four meetings between the two, before Medvedev ended his streak in the final of the 2019 Shanghai Masters. The Russian also beat him in the title clash of the following year’s Paris Masters before Zverev came out on top in the final of the 2021 ATP Finals in Turin.
Last season, Medvedev and Zverev locked horns six times, with the former winning five of those matches. The only time the German won was in the third round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.