Novak Djokovic gave Alexander Zverev a heart on Friday evening. The German has been under fire for weeks because he is accused of assault by his former girlfriend Olga Sharypova.
Sharypova claimed in an interview with last week Racquet Magazine that she has been a victim of domestic violence during her relationship with Zverev. According to the former tennis player, she was hit in the face by the 23-year-old German, among other things, and pushed her head against the wall.
Although Zverev firmly denies any allegations, the current number seven in the world cannot escape at tournaments to answer questions about the case. Djokovic, who joined the last four in the ATP Finals on Friday with a victory over Zverev – 6-3 and 7-6 (4) – has to do with his colleague.
“I have known Sascha (nickname Zverev, ed.) For a very long time and I have always had a great relationship with him. He is a very nice boy with a great family that I have a lot of respect for,” said 33-year-old Djokovic. at his press conference.
“It is sad to hear that he is going through a difficult period. Of course I am against any form of violence and I know what is going on. But we have to wait until it becomes clear what actually happened.”
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Alexander Zverev is accused of assault by his ex-girlfriend. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Djokovic wants to be a discussion partner for Zverev
Zverev’s performance does not seem to suffer from the accusations as this year’s losing US Open finalist reached the final of the Masters tournament in Paris early this month and in October he won both editions of the ATP tournament in Cologne . Djokovic emphasizes that Zverev is not treated differently by the other players.
“Everyone behaves the same towards him in the locker room. We did not discuss the matter together, but I told him I am there for him if he wants to talk about it,” said the Serb.
“So far it seems that Sascha is coping well, judging by his results over the past month and a half. Hopefully he can put this behind him soon and get back to his career and his future.”
Zverev also received questions about the accusations after his match against Djokovic, but he thinks that enough has been said about it. “The relationship between the players and me is not changing. I wish Novak the best of luck for the rest of this tournament and I have nothing else to say about it.”
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