According to German media RTL, a penalty order request against Alexander Zverev for physically assaulting his former girlfriend Brenda Patea – mother of tennis star’s first child – is on the cards.
An application for a penalty order against Zverev on the charges of bodily harms has been drafted by public prosecutor’s office on behalf of his ex-girlfriend. The news was first reported by German media giant RTL, who were informed about the development by a spokeswoman for the Berlin criminal courts. However, the application for a penalty order is only in the initial stage of a legal process and may result or may not result in German paying the penalty fine after investigation and prosecution.
As per RTL, the application for the issuance of a penalty order shows that the public prosecutor’s office notices sufficient suspicion of the offense committed. It can also be implied that Patea would have come up with more evidence regarding the initial allegations of assault levelled against Zverev in 2019.
However, it should be noted that it is not a court judgment but a proposal for a decision by the public prosecutor’s office and would conveniently spare Zverev a public trial who can lodge an appeal within two weeks. Until then, Zverev will be presumed innocent legally.
On the contrary, if the penalty charge is approved, it will result in Zverev getting slapped with a fine of up to a half million euros. The sum will be decided on the severity of the offense and the income of the offender.
While the assault allegations surrounding the penalty order came from Brenda Patea, neither her nor her management team have provided any further details or comments on the media reports. Similarly, nothing has been admitted or denied by Zverev and his team on the charges levelled against him.
Olga Sharypova blamed Zverev of Domestic Abuse
The Olympic Champion became part of the news for the similar reasons in October 2021 when former junior player and Zverev’s ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, accused him of domestic abuse and claimed that the player stifled her with a pillow during a fight. The German denied the charges levelled against him. ATP announced that it will investigate the matter and ran a 15-month probe to eventually conclude that they will not take any disciplinary action against their player because of insufficient evidence.
Zverev at Swedish Open
The 26-year old, Hamburg native is currently in Bastad, Sweden to participate at the ATP Nordea Open – a 250-level clay event where he won his R1 tie against Alex Molcan and will face Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in the final 16 match.