New Delhi: Germany’s Alexander Zverev was heckled by a woman in the crowd over cases of domestic violence against him following his defeat against world no.1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open 2025 final at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Sunday. Sinner defeated Zverev in straight sets to hand him his third straight defeat in Grand Slam finals to deny the German his first major crown.
As Zvererv prepared for his post-match speech at the Rod Laver Arena, he was interrupted by a woman in the crowd, who reminded others of the domestic violence allegations against the German tennis player. With her voice tearing through the silence at the court, the woman was heard shouting – “Australia believes Olga and Brenda”.
The woman, who was not shown on the cameras, shouted the slogan thrice before Zverev could begin his post-match speech following the conclusion of the final. The woman shouted the names of Zverev’s former partners – Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, who have both accused the current world no.2 of domestic abuse.
Shoutout to this woman pic.twitter.com/mQZeDrnnQn https://t.co/GeoKJQ0Raf
— Owen (@kostekcanu) January 26, 2025
Who are Brenda Patea and Olya Sharypova?
Brenda Patea, Zverev’s former partner and the mother of his daughter, accused him of “physically abusing” her during an argument in Berlin in May 2020. In an interview, Brenda revealed Zvererv pushed her into the wall and choked her during their argument.
A criminal court in Germany imposed a fine of €450,000 (approx $488,000) on Zverev. However, the German tennis player denied the allegations and contested the court order. In June 2024, Zverev’s lawyers confirmed that he agreed to a settlement with Brenda with the German court closing the case.
This was not the first time Zvererv was accused of domestic abuse as his ex-girlfriend Olya Sharypova also accused him of domestic violence and abuse during their relationship in October 2020. Sharypova took to Instagram to claim the German tennis star abused her physically during their relationship in various cities while playing in different tournaments during the ATP tour.
Sharypova didn’t press charges but the ATP Tour launched an investigation which was concluded after 15 months. No action was taken against the current world no.2 as the investigation found that there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to support Sharypova’s allegations. Sharypova had accused Zverev of punching her in the face and smothering her with a pillow on another instance during one of their arguments.
Alexander Zvererv responds
While he didn’t react to the woman’s heckling on the court, Zverev responded when he was asked about the same in the post-match press conference in Melbourne. The German tennis star said the chapter was closed for him and that he wouldn’t want to speak on the topic again.
“I think there are no more accusations. There have not been for the last 9 months now. Look, good for her. I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment. Good for her. I think I have done everything I can, and I am not about to open up that subject once again,” Zverev said in the post-match press conference,” said Zverev.
Alexander Zverev was heckled by a woman over domestic violences cases against him after losing the Australian Open 2025 final against world no.1 Janik Sinner on Sunday. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
