Alexander Zverev increased the scrutiny surrounding his personal life by making some ill-advised comments over the weekend. The German tennis star has been in the spotlight in the past few days after his ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, gave a detailed account of the domestic abuse she suffered when she dated him.
Zverev declared that he wouldn’t stop smiling after losing in the Paris Masters final
In an interview with tennis journalist, Ben Rothenberg, Sharypova alleged that her ex-boyfriend had tried to strangle her during their stay in New York for last year’s US Open. The Russian added that Alexander had punched her in the face when they traveled to Geneva for the Laver Cup, and she tried to commit suicide after the incident. However, after losing in the Paris Masters final to Daniil Medvedev over the weekend, Zverev made a defiant statement about the domestic abuse accusations. During his post-match interview, the 23-year-old insisted that he was still smiling and having a good time in his life despite the disturbing allegations that had been made about him in the press. “I know that right now there are a lot of people who will be trying to wipe a smile off my face, but I’m still smiling under this mask.”
https://twitter.com/drivevolleys/status/1325485113791172609?s=20
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Fans slammed Zverev for his comments
Zverev continued his outburst by claiming that he was looking forward to becoming a father in the coming months. The US Open finalist challenged those who were trying to wipe the smile off his face to continue trying, but he declared that they wouldn’t succeed. Immediately after Zverev’s interview, tennis fans took to social media to express their resentment over his defiant remarks. One tennis fan pointed out that the 23-year-old’s behavior had been combative, arrogant, and entitled. Another spectator took to Twitter to mock the German tennis star for his insensitive comments. “Imagine being accused of abuse and then being proud of smiling about it.”
Alexander Zverev: "I know that there's gonna be a lot of people that right now are trying to wipe a smile off my face but under this mask I'm smiling brightly. I feel incredible on court […] everything is great in my life. The people who are trying can keep trying."
Yeah.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) November 8, 2020
While the German remains innocent until the domestic abuse allegations against him are proved, his conduct at the Paris Masters may have harmed his reputation. After his ex-girlfriend made the abuse claims last week, Zverev’s PR team insisted that he would attempt to hold reasonable and respectful dialogue with Sharypova. Unfortunately, it appears that the current world number seven has taken a different approach to deal with the controversy. After reaching the final of the Paris Masters, Zverev will be in action again at the ATP Finals in London. The 23-year-old will certainly be under more pressure to address the domestic allegations against him at the tournament. Until now, the ATP has not released a statement to address the current scandal between Zverev and Sharypova. However, tennis fans could pressure the organization to take action against the US Open finalist because of his insensitive remarks.
https://twitter.com/anousha_e/status/1325563892299403277?s=20
Alexander Zverev in 2020
Now ranked no.7, Zverev played his last match on the 8th of November when he was defeated by Daniil Medvedev 5-7 6-4 6-1 in the final in Paris.
Presently, this year the German has a composed 27-9 record. Zverev conquered 2 titles in 2020 in Cologne and in Cologne. Zverev was the runner-up at the U.S. Open and in Paris.
