Alexander Zverev, the winner of the men’s tennis tournament at the Olympics, has been given a punishment for causing physical harm to his former girlfriend. He has also been fined a total of €450,000 (£392,000) by a German court.
A representative from the Berlin criminal courts informed the Guardian that the Tiergarten district court has issued a ruling against Zverev on October 2nd. Zverev is being accused of physically harming a woman and causing damage to her well-being during a dispute in Berlin in May of 2020. As a penalty, Zverev has been fined 90 daily rates of €5,000, totaling to €450,000. Zverev has denied the accusation and has filed an objection against the ruling.
In July, the Berlin public prosecutor’s office requested for the order to be given. According to German law, a penalty order is used by the public prosecutor when a trial is not deemed necessary, typically in cases where the evidence strongly supports the accusation and the case is straightforward. The defendant has the option to challenge the penalty order, which could result in a public trial.
The ninth-ranked male player in the world has challenged the penalty order, leading to a new hearing with both the defendant and plaintiffs. A public trial is expected to be arranged and Zverev is considered innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, Zverev’s ex-girlfriend has joined the Berlin public prosecutor as a co-plaintiff.
In July, Zverev briefly commented on the possible penalty order. “I strongly deny the accusations. My lawyers are handling the situation. I will not provide any further statements on it.”
On Tuesday, Zverev’s legal team, Schertz Bergmann, released a statement confirming that they have challenged the penalty order. They referred to it as “outrageous” and provided arguments against the allegations made by the alleged victim. The statement also mentioned that they possess medical evidence from experts that supports Zverev’s claims of innocence.
“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.”
