As of right now, the ATP Tour, which is the governing body of men’s tennis, does not have any policies regarding domestic abuse. Apprehensions have been raised over the manner in which it handled the Alexander Zverev issue.
An upcoming court proceeding for Alexander Zverev, who has been in the public eye as of late, is slated to take place in the month of May.
As a result of Alexander Zverev’s approaching assault trial, the lack of a domestic violence policy on the ATP Tour has once again come to the forefront of attention. This is due to the fact that top female players are wondering why the German tennis ace Alexander Zverev is still allowed to participate despite the allegations that have been made against him.
To the best of anyone’s knowledge, Alexander Zverev, the reigning Olympic champion, did not physically attack his ex-girlfriend before the competition. Up until the time when his public hearing is getting close to the end of May, he will continue to be given the benefit of the doubt.
According to DW, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which is an independent organization that was co-founded by Novak Djokovic, the current number one player in the world in both men’s and women’s tennis, would be in favor of the adoption of a policy.
“The PTPA is supportive of policies addressing domestic abuse, sexual assault and other serious crimes, similar to other professional sports, if they are clear, ensure due process, and are mutually agreed upon,” according to its official statement.
When it comes to determining whether or not an individual is guilty, we do not take a stand as a collective. about Zverev’s continuous engagement, we stress the importance of adhering to the processes and agreements that have already been established, regardless of the decision about the penalty.
Possibility of preventing Zverev from competing in the event?
When compared to other sports, tennis stands out in this particular respect, particularly in the United States.
Take the National Basketball Association as an example. They have the authority to put a player on paid leave while they conduct an investigation into allegations of domestic violence. Following that, they can be subject to a fine, a suspension, or even termination from their team, depending on the outcomes. You are not need to have a criminal record.
As a result of charges of abuse, the Brazilian national football team decided to pull winger Antony from the lineup. In spite of the fact that there were no criminal accusations against him, he agreed to step away from Manchester United for the length of the investigation.
After Zverev was charged with assault in the past, the ATP initiated a protection investigation that included domestic violence as one of its topics of investigation. However, after more than two years, there has been no tangible conclusion from the review that has been considered.
However, there are many who believe that Zverev are already capable of being prevented from competing. According to the code of conduct for the tour, participants are not allowed to engage in any behavior that might potentially undermine the integrity of the sport. This includes not being “charged with a violation of a criminal or civil law of any jurisdiction.”
“Provisionally suspend such player (…) from further participation in ATP tournaments pending a final determination of the criminal or civil proceeding.” In light of this, the ATP penalties committee can decide to take some action.
In response to DW’s request about the Association of Tennis Professionals’ (ATP) inability to comply to its own code of conduct, the organization merely said that it would stop from commenting until Zverev’s testimonies were completed.
During the Australian Open, male players were able to avoid problems.
Due to the fact that Zverev was only recently elected to the role, he will be serving on the ATP players’ council for the 2024–25 season. The council is a forum in which players have the opportunity to express their views to the management of the tour; it meets on a regular basis throughout the year.
Following the announcement of the trial date by DW the previous week, none of Zverev’s contemporaries were ready to comment on whether or not they thought it was appropriate for him to continue serving in the job. According to them, doing so would give him the opportunity to influence choices that may potentially damage his own case and future.
At the Australian Open, Grigor Dimitrov, who is also a member of the council, made the following statement: “I definitely won’t comment more on that, because I don’t know what the situation is.” It seems to me that all of the individuals who are concerned in this circumstance need to take a seat and discuss the matter. I would want for you to be aware of it.
Only female gamers have expressed any type of concern on the problem, and they have been concerned about it.
Iga Swiatek, the current number one player in the world, responded to the subject of whether or not Andrey Zverev should continue to compete by saying, “For sure, it’s not good when a player who’s facing charges like that is kind of being promoted.”
At the same time, Sloane Stephens, a former member of the WTA players’ council and the champion of the US Open in 2017, highlighted her difficulty to comprehend such conduct in the women’s game.
According to her, “The ATP beats their own drum, they do what they do on that side,” and she is quite correct. Was it possible for anything similar to take place on the WTA Tour? At best, my doubts are.
Almost all of Zverev’s supporters have remained silent
For the same reason that Zverev’s male colleagues have been quiet, his sponsors have also remained silent.
DW made contact with the six “brand partners” that were advertised on his website shortly after he discovered them. When they were asked for a comment, fifty percent of them decided not to respond. The principal sponsor of Zverev, Adidas, was one of the few companies who replied, and they said that they were “monitoring” the situation.
It would be improper to comment on any current legal processes, and we do not comment on the contractual terms of our partnerships,” the company said in a press statement. “We do not comment on the details of our collaborations.” “In line with our values, Adidas condemns all forms of gender violence.”
The fact that Icebein, a company that specializes in cold therapy, utilized the same tone as the other firms suggests that they collaborated on the wording of the statements while they were being written.
Only Rolex has made a strong statement, as they notified DW that “Alexander Zverev is no longer a Rolex Testimonee.” This is the only significant player that has given a strong statement.
On the other hand, a representative from the company decided not to comment on the fact that the relationship was terminated or the reason why the Rolex insignia was shown on Zverev’s website.
