MELBOURNE, Australia — Moments after Alexander Zverev’s loss in the Australian Open final Sunday, a person in the stadium yelled out the names of two of the tennis star’s ex-girlfriends who have accused him of physical abuse in the past, saying “Australia believes” them.
As Zverev stood at a microphone waiting to speak during the trophy ceremony, a voice repeated the phrase three times.
“Australia believes Olya and Brenda!” the audience member shouted, referring to Zverev’s former partners, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, The Athletic reported.
Some others in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena booed and whistled.
At his news conference following the match, Zverev, a 27-year-old from Germany, was asked for his reaction to the interruption on court.
“I think there are no more accusations,” Zverev said in a video of the press conference. “There haven’t been for — what? — nine months now. ...
“Good for her,” he said of the spectator. “I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment.”
“I think I’ve done everything I can, and I’m not about to open that subject again,” he added.
On the day that Zverev reached the French Open final last June, word emerged from Berlin that a district court there ended a trial stemming from Patea’s accusation of domestic violence during a 2020 argument. The resolution came with the agreement of state prosecutors and lawyers for Zverev and his former partner.
Go Ad-Free — And Protect The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
Zverev previously denied an assault allegation made by Sharypova. That accusation prompted the men’s professional tennis tour to investigate her claims; the ATP said in January 2023 that there was insufficient evidence.
HuffPost contributed additional reporting to this article.