CNN
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The ATP Tour announced on Tuesday that no disciplinary action would be taken against Alexander Zverev after an investigation found insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse.
In October 2021, the ATP, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, said it was opening an investigation after allegations of domestic abuse were made by Zverev’s ex-girlfriend, Olya Sharipova.
The investigation was conducted by The Lake Forest Group (LFG) with ATP’s outside legal counsel, Smith Hulsey & Bussey, acting as mediator.
“Following an exhaustive 15-month process, LFG has submitted its full report to ATP,” an ATP release said.
“Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by Sharipova, Zverev and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate allegations of abuse, or determine the ATP’s on-site offenses or violations of player major offenses. The rule happened.
“As a result, the ATP will not take any disciplinary action against Zverev. This determination may be re-evaluated if new evidence is revealed, or if any legal proceedings reveal a violation of ATP rules. Zverev has consistently denied all allegations and supported the ATP’s investigation.”
ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said: “The seriousness and complexity of these allegations required a very thorough investigation process and substantial resources. This required us to turn to specialist investigators, which was new ground for the ATP.
“We ultimately believe that the entire process was necessary to reach an informed verdict. It also showed the need to be more responsive to our security. That’s why we’ve taken steps in that direction, there’s still a lot of important work to be done.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, Zverev said: “From the beginning I have maintained my innocence and denied the baseless accusations against me. I welcome and cooperate fully with ATP’s investigation and am grateful for the agency’s time and attention to this matter.
“This decision identifies a third, impartial, third-party arbitrator who has reviewed all relevant information and rendered a clear and informed decision in this matter on my behalf. In addition to ATP’s independent investigation, I also initiated court proceedings in Germany and Russia, both of which I won.”
He added: “I am grateful that this has finally been resolved and my priority now is to recover from injury and focus on what I love most in this world – tennis. I would like to thank my friends, family and fans for their continued support. We followed a long and difficult process and justice prevailed.”
Sharipova has yet to comment on the ATP ruling.