French Open finalist Alexander Zverev said he “never wanted to hear another question” about his trial over domestic abuse allegations after a German court dropped a case against him.
Germany’s Zverev defeated Casper Ruud in four sets to reach his second Grand Slam final hours after a settlement was agreed with his ex-girlfriend, who accused him of assaulting her.
“I told you so from the start. I told everybody,” said the 27-year-old Zverev.
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“I’m happy that it’s over. Yeah, nothing else more to say. That’s it. Four years. I’m happy about that.”
Zverev’s former partner, Brenda Patea, “was no longer interested in pursuing the prosecution”, said Inga Wahlen, the deputy spokeswoman for the Berlin criminal courts.
The plaintiff and the tennis star had decided “they would like to resolve this smouldering conflict peacefully, also in the interests of their child”, she said.
Zverev, who was not required to attend the trial, had said on the eve of the French Open that he “believes in the German system”.
“I do believe in the truth, as well. I do know what I did, I do know what I didn’t do. That’s, at the end of the day, what’s going to come out, and I have to trust in that,” he told reporters last month in Paris.
“I do believe that I’m not going to lose this procedure. There’s absolutely no chance I am. That’s why I can play calmly.” As part of the settlement announced on Friday, Zverev had agreed to pay 200,000 euros ($217,000), with most of it going into state coffers and the remainder to a fund for charitable organisations, the court spokeswoman said.
The German had already been fined 450,000 euros ($490,000) in October in the same case.
He was accused of “briefly” choking Patea “with both hands” in May 2020, according to the court.
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The alleged incident took place in the stairwell of her apartment building in the capital, the court said.
Patea is said to have suffered “difficulty breathing and significant pain” as a result of the assault.
Zverev rejected the accusations and lodged an appeal.
After Friday’s settlement was announced, his lawyers stressed he was “still considered innocent”.
“That’s what dropping the case is. That is innocence,” Zverev said following his win over Ruud.
“They’re not going to drop the case if you’re guilty at the end of the day. I don’t know what translations you have, but that’s what it means. Done.
“We move on. I never ever want to hear another question about the subject again. That goes out to everybody.”
In January 2023, the ATP, which runs the men’s tennis tour, closed an investigation into allegations of domestic abuse against Zverev involving a female tennis player after finding insufficient evidence.
The ATP had opened the probe into Zverev in October 2021 following allegations made by his former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova.
— AFP