The German world no.7 Sascha Zverev is currently going through turmoil in his personal life. Zverev is accused of physical exploitation by his ex-girlfriend Olya Sharapova. They dated for some time before their split last year. Olya Sharypova posted a detailed post on Instagram alleging that while they were together she was a victim of domestic abuse.
The allegations on Zverev
Zverev has denied allegations made by her as she has claimed that he tried to strangle her and hit her head against a wall before the commencement of the US Open in 2019. Soon after that, Sharypova uploaded another story in Russian. As per the English translation, it highlights the abuse that she faced in her relationship with Alexander Zverev. It also demands answers from her ex-boyfriend, while explaining that she is going to reveal her full story in parts.
A few days ago another ex-girlfriend of Zverev, Brenda Patea had said that she is pregnant with his child and did not want to share the custody of the child with him at any cost. After finding himself amidst controversies Zverev had posted the following on his Instagram.
In his statement, he has confirmed Patea’s declaration but disproportionately denied Sharapova’s allegations. Now Sharypova has reacted to it, standing by her accusations and seeking answers from him. She took to social media via her Instagram page responded to Alexander Zverev’s recent Instagram post. She criticized the German for his lack of “courage”. Moreover, she accused him of never speaking to her directly. Olya even questioned the lengthy post by Sascha, asking if his team wrote it.
Social media response
In one of her stories, Olya posted the above response to Zverev’s statement. After Olya’s accusations fans created a stir on social media. In Germany, “IstandwithOlya” started trending on Twitter. Alexander is slated to compete in Paris Masters from 2nd November. He is set to take part in both the singles and the doubles category. The social media account of the tournament received backlash as they made a post with Alexander in it. The comments were flooded by #IstandwithOlya as people tried to express their stand on the matter.
Among those voicing support for Sharypova was WTA star Daria Gavrilova, who said “Good on Olya for opening up.” The handlers of the Paris Masters account ultimately deleted the post because only one emotion was expressed in the comments, that of solidarity with Olya.
Alexander Zverev received plenty of support from his followers after putting out the statement. But many in the tennis fraternity also came to the defense of Olya Sharypova, and she wrote in another Instagram story that she felt overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and positivity. A few fans have started a petition to get the ATP to suspend Alexander Zverev from the tour. It remains to be seen if the controversy prompts any investigation or inquiry from the authorities.
Alexander Zverev in 2020
Ranked no.7, Alexander played his last match on the 25th of October when he beat Diego Schwartzman 6-2 6-1 in the final in Cologne to win his 13th career title.
During this season Alexander has a compiled 23-8 match record. Zverev conquered 2 titles in 2020 in Cologne and in Cologne. Zverev was the finalist at the U.S. Open.