Alexander Zverev to face no disciplinary action as investigation into domestic abuse allegations completed

The ATP has announced that Alexander Zverev will not face disciplinary action following an investigation into allegations of domestic abuse.

The investigation was commissioned by the governing body in October 2021 and it looked into allegations of domestic abuse made by Zverev’s former girlfriend Olya Sharypova. It was carried out by The Lake Forest Group – a third-party investigator.

Sharypova had accused the 25-year-old of violence and emotional abuse during their relationship, which he has consistently denied.

Zverev took legal action against Sharypova and an online publisher in 2021 after she made further allegations of abuse.

A summary published on the ATP website read: “Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse, or determine that violations of ATP’s On-Site Offenses or Player Major Offenses rules took place.

“As a result, no disciplinary action against Zverev will be taken by ATP. This determination may however be re-evaluated should new evidence come to light, or should any legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules. Zverev has consistently denied all allegations and supported ATP’s investigation.”

ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli added: “The seriousness and complexity of these allegations required an extremely thorough investigative process and considerable resources. It also required us to turn to specialist investigators, which was new ground for ATP.

“We ultimately believe the exhaustive process was necessary to reach an informed judgement. It has also shown the need for us to be more responsive on safeguarding matters. It is the reason we’ve taken steps in that direction, with a lot of important work still ahead.”

In 2021, the ATP commissioned a separate independent safeguarding report.