Indian Wells: Alexander Zverev in the desert under the magnifying glass
One of the last sporting highlights of the year is on for Alexander Zverev in Indian Wells. Away from the court, however, he continues to deal with his ex-girlfriend's allegations of violence.
by SID
last edit:
Oct 05, 2021, 02:29 pm
The magnifying glass in the California desert is clearly aimed at Alexander Zverev. And not just because the Olympic champion is a co-favorite for one of the last big titles of the season at the tennis classic in Indian Wells. No, the Hamburg resident is once again in focus because of his ex-girlfriend's allegations of public violence - since these are now officially occupying the tennis circus.
Three days before the start of the prestigious Masters tournament on Thursday, the professional organization ATP announced that it had opened an investigation against Zverev because of the allegations made by Olga Sharypova. This has been accusing the German number one of physical and psychological violence during their 13-month relationship via media reports for over a year.
Zverev's lawyers are working at full speed
So Zverev had to defend himself again in the run-up to a major tournament. Again the 24-year-old rejected the allegations on Monday evening "categorically and clearly" that they were "defamatory and untrue". He himself welcomed the investigations by the ATP, after all, he had "asked for an independent investigation for months". And while Zverev's lawyers are working at full speed in the background, he wants to hide the unrest and concentrate fully on his tennis.
Because for the first time since the narrow semi-final defeat at the US Open against Novak Djokovic a month ago, things are getting really serious on the court again. The win at the Laver Cup with the European team had manageable sporting value, around which Zverev worked with an appearance on the TV Show "Beat the Star" on his image at home or throw a few baskets with his buddy Jimmy Butler from the NBA.
Next to Medvedev, the biggest favorite
Of course, Zverev is already very satisfied with his year. "If I hadn't won another match and only won the gold medal, it would have been the best year of my life," he said recently in an interview with n-tv. He has already collected four titles this season, in addition to the overwhelming Olympic victory in Tokyo, there were also two Masters tournaments (Madrid, Cincinnati).
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And the chances of the next 1000 event in Indian Wells, organized by tournament director Tommy Haas, are not bad. World number one Djokovic is missing, as are the two injured superstars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem , which is why Zverev is one of the top favorites alongside the newly crowned US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
In the first round, Zverev and Angelique Kerber have a bye in the women's competition that begins on Wednesday. With his fifth title of the year, he could equalize his best season so far in 2017. The background noises away from the court will not silence that either.
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