"In the interim, he should not be playing": Jon Wertheim weighs in on Alexander Zverev abuse allegations case

Tennis expert John Wertheim commented on the domestic violence cases involving Alexander Zverev.

The World No. 7 received a court order from a German court for assaulting his ex-partner and mother of his daughter, Brenda Patea. A court in Berlin recently fined Alexander Zverev $450,000 for causing physical injuries to Patea.

In a recent interview, tennis journalist John Wertheim discussed 'Sascha' Zverev's conviction and expressed the opinion that the German should be suspended by the ATP. He also addressed the situation faced by Nick Kyrgios, who also had legal troubles due to allegations of violence against him.

“I can’t stress this enough: No one is condoning Kyrgios or saying his incident was acceptable behavior. But let’s not conflate. Kyrgios denied abuse but admitted to shoving aside a former girlfriend. He apologized. In court, “Magistrate Beth Campbell heard his guilty plea then dismissed the charge, accepting the seriousness of the matter was ‘low level,’ meaning a conviction was not recorded,” he said

“In the case of Zverev, two women have claimed multiple acts of physical violence. There are detailed accounts. The alleged acts occurred over time on multiple continents. There is a level of specificity to the allegations. There are photos and contemporaneous accounts corroborating the allegations,”

“There are remarkable parallels between the two allegations. In one case, the woman did not pursue criminal charges, and an ATP-ordered investigation resulted in insufficient evidence (which is different from exoneration) to warrant discipline. In another, a Berlin criminal court heard the account and imposed a “penalty order” of nearly $500,000,” Wertheim added

“Zverev responded to the claims earlier this month at the Paris Masters, calling the charges “complete bulls--- … and anyone that has a semi-standard IQ level knows what this is about,”

“He is entitled to reject the allegations. He is entitled to a public trial. But in the interim, he should not be playing. In the absence of a domestic violence policy, the ATP has said that it will rely on the legal system,” Wertheim concluded.