Alexander Zverev to challenge €450,000 fine for domestic abuse

Alexander Zverev will contest an order by a Berlin court to pay a €450,000 fine for physically abusing the mother of his child, the German tennis player's lawyers have said.

The former world number two "rejects the accusation made against him" by his former girlfriend Brenda Patea that she was a victim of bodily harm during an argument in 2020, his lawyers said. The pair had a daughter in 2021, though by that time they were no longer together.

The Tiergarten District Court in Berlin fined Zverev 90 daily rates of €5,000 after the Berlin public prosecutor's office applied in July for a penalty order, a German system used for summary disposal of cases that bases the fine on the wealth of the offender. Zverev contesting the order means a public trial instead.

"The procedure is scandalous, there can be no question of a fair, constitutional procedure. Mr Zverev will take action against this using all means possible," Zverev's legal spokesperson said. "The allegations made by the complainant, which alone form the basis for the penalty order, have already been refuted by a forensic medical report."

In January, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) closed an investigation that was launched after another ex-girlfriend, tennis player Olga Sharypova, accused Zverev of domestic abuse. The ATP cited insufficient evidence as its reason for dropping the case.

Zverev, 26, is currently playing at the Paris Masters, where he beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6 7-5 6-4 on Tuesday. He is set to face Ugo Humbert in the second round on Wednesday.