Off-court issues for men’s Australian Open finalists leave sour taste for tennis
Off-court issues for men’s Australian Open finalists leave sour taste for tennis
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Jannik Sinner faces an anti-doping appeal in April while Alexander Zverev was ambushed by a heckler over historic domestic abuse allegations. The tennis turned out to be one of the least interesting aspects of the men’s Australian Open final as the world No 1 Jannik Sinner predictably bulldozed Alexander Zverev, the No 2, to clinch his third grand slam and second consecutive victory in Melbourne Park. He did not face a break point in the match.
![[Tumaini Carayol in Melbourne]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/03/01/Tumaini_Carayol_v2.png?width=180&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
As Zverev, who had shed tears in the aftermath of his defeat, stood in front of the microphone to deliver his runner-up speech, a woman’s voice pierced the silence: “Australia believes Olya and Brenda,” she shouted, repeating the phrase twice more. Amid confused mutterings and some boos, the spectator was detained by security and evicted from the stadium.
![[Jannik Sinner with the Australian Open trophy]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ce3e099dcccd055659acd7860bb218cb4046cfd3/0_427_6400_3840/master/6400.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
That moment touched on a significant issue that has played out in the background over the past few years. Zverev was accused of physical assault by two of his former partners, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, who is the mother of their child. He has repeatedly denied all accusations.
“I believe there are no more accusations,” Zverev said on Sunday. “There haven’t been for, what, nine months now. Good for her. I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment.”. There are no more active investigations or legal processes hanging over Zverev. The ATP took no disciplinary action against him in 2023 after an independent investigation into Sharypova’s accusations by Lake Forest Group, due to “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse”. Then, in the second week of a public trial last May, Zverev’s and Patea’s camps agreed a settlement.
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