Alexander Zverev breaks silence on accusations aimed at him by his ex-girlfriend

Alexander Zverev has broken his silence on accusations against him by ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea. The German is accused of assault but has rejected the allegations and insisted that his legal team will be taking care of the matter.

Patea has accused Zverev of causing ‘bodily harm’, with the public prosecutor’s office in Berlin applying for a penalty order to be made against the tennis star. If the order is issued against the former World No 2 then he will have two weeks to file an objection.

Speaking ahead of the Hamburg European Open, an ATP 500 event, Zverev refuted the claims made by the mother of his two-year-old daughter, saying: “From my side, I completely reject the allegations. My lawyers will take care of the matter. I won’t say any more than that.”

Zverev then swiftly attempted to move the press conference onto a different topic, referencing how he was pleased to be back in Hamburg and that he hoped that he would have the support of the German crowd. He said: “I feel most comfortable in Hamburg. (I hope) that the audience will support me loudly.”

Earlier this year, the ATP decided to take no disciplinary action against Zverev after another ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, alleged that he had been emotionally and physically abusive during their relationship. No action was taken against Zverev in that case after a 15-month independent investigation found “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse”.

The No 4 seed, meanwhile, kicked off his competition with a comfortable victory over Slovak Alex Molcan on Tuesday at Am Rothenbaum on Tuesday, winning 6-0, 6-3. The comprehensive win means that he will face compatriot Maximilian Marterer in the next round, where he is likely to be the favourite to secure victory.

Zverev missed the Hamburg Open last year as he was recovering from an ankle injury sustained at the French Open when he was beaten by Rafael Nadal. Lorenzo Musetti went on to win the competition, beating recent Wimbledon victor Carlos Alcaraz in the final, and he is hopeful of retaining his title this year, being seeded third.