- The domestic abuse trial against Alexander Zverev began on Friday in a Berlin court
- The world tennis number 4 is accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea
- His defense accuses Patea of wanting to increase his following on social networks
Alexander Zverev pushed the mother of his child against a wall and strangled her with both hands, a Berlin court reported.
The world number 4, who will play his third round match in Paris on Saturday, had his domestic abuse trial postponed on Friday following a request from his lawyers to hold the rest of the trial behind closed doors.
On October 2 last year, a German court imposed a penalty order on Zverev and fined him £392,000 for causing bodily harm to his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea. Zverev denies the allegations and challenged the sanction order, leading to the public trial that began on Friday. The judge will now consider the defense’s request to hold the trial in private, to protect Zverev’s privacy and the well-being of his daughter.
The two sides gave their opening arguments, with the prosecutor saying Patea had difficulty swallowing and suffered a sore throat for several days after the alleged abuse during a “heated argument.”
The defense attempted to portray Patea as motivated by fame and money, saying: “Above all, (her behavior) was increasing her followers on Instagram and TikTok, and living a jetset lifestyle.”
Alexander Zverev’s domestic abuse trial has begun, with a hearing in the Berlin court that strangled his ex-girlfriend
Her legal team has tried to portray Brenda Patea as motivated by money and greed.
Zverev was fined £392,000 and given a penalty order last year for bodily harm. He maintains the presumption of innocence until this trial is over.
Zverev’s legal team also claimed that the allegations are baseless and copied from allegations of violence made by Olya Sharypova, another ex-girlfriend of Zverev, in 2020 and 2021.
The court will meet for seven more non-consecutive days, and the next one will be Friday, the day of the men’s semifinals. Zverev is not required to attend the trial. Before the tournament he said: ‘I’m not going to lose this procedure. There is absolutely no chance it will be.
Zverev maintains the presumption of innocence until the trial is over.