'New ground': ATP makes call on Zverev abuse claims

1 year ago 42

German tennis subordinate Alexander Zverev volition not look disciplinary enactment aft an probe into domestic maltreatment allegations against him recovered “insufficient evidence” to substantiate the claims, the men’s nonrecreational circuit says.

The ATP had commissioned the probe successful October 2021 aft Zverev's erstwhile girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, accused the 2020 US Open runner-up of abuse.

“Based connected a deficiency of reliable grounds and eyewitness reports, successful summation to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev and different interviewees, the probe was incapable to substantiate the allegations of abuse, oregon find that violations of ATP’s On-Site Offenses oregon Player Major Offenses rules took place,” the ATP said successful a statement.

The 25-year-old Zverev, who won the singles golden medal astatine the Tokyo Olympics, has ever denied the accusations. He is presently ranked 14th.

“I americium grateful that this is yet resolved and my precedence present is recovering from wounded and concentrating connected what I emotion astir successful this satellite — tennis,” Zverev said successful a statement.

Although nary disciplinary enactment volition beryllium taken, the ATP said it would reevaluate the determination “should caller grounds travel to light, oregon should immoderate ineligible proceedings uncover violations of ATP rules.”

The 15-month probe was conducted by the Illinois-based Lake Forest Group and included interviews of much than two-dozen radical and reviews of substance messages, audio files, and photos submitted by Sharypova and Zverev.

“This included materials voluntarily extracted from Zverev's physics devices via a third-party forensic expert,” the ATP said.

The probe looked chiefly into accusations of maltreatment astatine the ATP Masters 1000 lawsuit successful Shanghai successful 2019 but besides included “purported misconduct successful different locations, including Monaco, New York and Geneva, arsenic referenced successful nationalist reporting.”

Ultimately, investigators “found insufficient grounds to substantiate published allegations of abuse," the governing assemblage said.

ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said turning to specializer investigators was “new ground” for the tour.

“We yet judge the exhaustive process was indispensable to scope an informed judgement,” helium said successful a prepared statement. “It has besides shown the request for america to beryllium much responsive connected safeguarding matters. It is the crushed we’ve taken steps successful that direction, with a batch of important enactment inactive ahead.”

Zverev mislaid to Michael Mmoh successful the 2nd circular of the Australian Open earlier successful January.

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