Alexander Zverev keeps winning. But no one wants to talk about their domestic violence lawsuit

This is getting awkward.

Alexander Zverev, the German tennis star who is due to appear in court in May on domestic violence charges, is pushing ahead with elimination from the Australian Open, which would save the sport from being a topic no one wants to talk about.

Then the world number 6 avoids defeat and escapes tight tiebreaks and five-set battles every day. Zverev, 26, raises his arms. He answers friendly questions from a tennis personality – questions that never refer to the charges and the upcoming trial in Berlin.

That's what happened today (Monday) when Zverev won a fifth-set tiebreak for the second time in a week, beating British No. 1 Cameron Norrie 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3). It was an exciting, nerve-wracking match in which Zverev's big serve, as fierce as ever in the closing stages, earned him the victory.

Zverev, who this month joined the ATP Players' Council, which serves as the voice of players on the men's tour, will meet world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Minutes after his win against Norrie, Zverev and interviewer Nicholas Monroe, a retired doubles player, led the Margaret Court Arena in singing Happy Birthday to Zverev's father.

The charges are also rarely discussed during his televised matches, even though this is the second time an ex-girlfriend has accused Zverev of physical abuse. The first led to a 15-month investigation, which concluded early last year and found “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse.” On both occasions, Zverev has denied any wrongdoing.

The latest accusations come from Brenda Patea, the mother of Zverev's daughter Mayla. In media interviews and claims filed with German legal authorities, she has alleged that Zverev pushed her against a wall and strangled her during an argument in 2020. Patea said she told friends about the incident at the time, but did not find out until October had reported it to the police. 2021 due to a mixture of shame and concern for their daughter, who was born in March 2021.

In October, a criminal court in Berlin issued an injunction, fining Zverev almost $500,000 (£393,000) in connection with Patea's charges. In Germany, a prosecutor can request a criminal warrant for cases he considers simple, because there is convincing evidence that does not require a trial. The defendant has the right to challenge the order, which Zverev does.

Speaking at the Paris Masters in November, Zverev described the punishment order as “complete bull***”, adding: “Anyone with a semi-standard IQ level knows what this is all about.” The player did not elaborate on the reasons for his objection. “I'm honestly not going to comment on that, because there is still a procedure for that come,” he said.

A trial is planned for the end of May, at the same time as the French Open. ZVerev is not required to attend the trial and said last week he does not know whether he will. His lawyers call the legal proceedings “outrageous” and say Zverev will take action “by any means necessary.” The player is considered innocent until a final verdict is reached.

That said another ex-girlfriend, the Russian former tennis player Olya Sharypova Zverev repeatedly abused her in New York in 2019, Shanghai, Monaco and Geneva. Unlike Patea, Sharypova has never involved the criminal justice system and made her accusations in a lengthy article in the online magazine Slate and on social media.

The ATP decided to take no further action in January 2023 after a 15-month independent investigation extensive interviews with Zverev, Sharypova and 24 others, including family, friends and other players, as well as analysis of text messages, audio files and photos. The investigation, conducted by third party The Lake Forest Group, concluded that there was not enough evidence to substantiate Sharypova's claims.

Zverev has always denied any wrongdoing and said the only people suggesting there is anything inappropriate about his participation in this tournament, on the tour and on the Players' Council are members of the press.

“Journalists say that – some are actually more interested in this story to write about and more about the clicks than the actual truth,” Zverev said last week.

Days after making that statement, Sloane Stephens, the former US Open champion who recently resigned from the WTA Player Council, said someone on trial on domestic violence charges would likely not represent players in the WTA.

“The ATP is kind of beating their own drum,” Stephens said. “They do what they do on that side.”

Sloane Stephens was a member of the WTA Players Council (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

“It's a difficult situation,” Stephens added. “Someone who is very prominent in our sport… I think he will now appear in court and face whatever he faces (the issue can be resolved).”

Zverev has continued to play throughout the investigations and legal wrangles because the ATP has no policy prohibiting this. The other major tennis bodies that could be involved – the four Grand Slams and the International Tennis Federation – have followed the tour's lead and decided to run the legal process through the courts before reaching a decision.

When asked on Monday why he wanted to join the Players' Council and what issues he wanted to focus on, Zverev ticked off several items related to the structure of the tour and the playing demands athletes face.

“Playing eleven months a year is too much,” he said. Adding events to the tour “might get a little out of hand and a little too much. There's just all these discussions. But they are very nice discussions. No one's fighting in there, no one's yelling or screaming. We are all there to achieve the same thing and have a better tour”.

He made no mention of the protection, nor of the accusations made against him over the past three years.

No one wants to talk about it at this Australian Open.

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(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)