- The domestic violence trial of Alexander Zverev started on Friday in a court in Berlin
- The tennis world number 4 is accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea
- His defense accuses Patea of wanting to increase its social media following
Alexander Zverev pushed the mother of his child against a wall and strangled her with both hands, a Berlin court was told.
The world number 4, who plays his third round match in Paris on Saturday, saw his domestic violence trial postponed on Friday after a request from his lawyers to hold the remainder of the proceedings behind closed doors.
On October 2 last year, Zverev was given an injunction and fined £392,000 by a German court for bodily harm against his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea. Zverev denies the charges and has challenged the criminal order, leading to the public trial that began on Friday. The judge will now consider the defense’s request to hold the trial behind closed doors to protect Zverev’s privacy and the well-being of his daughter.
The two sides made their opening arguments, with the prosecutor saying Patea had difficulty swallowing and suffered from a sore throat for several days after the alleged abuse during a “heated argument.”
The defense tried to portray Patea as motivated by fame and money, saying, “(Her conduct) was primarily intended to increase her followers on Instagram and TikTok and live a jet-setting lifestyle.”
Alexander Zverev’s domestic violence trial has begun, with a Berlin court hearing he strangled his ex-girlfriend
His legal team has tried to portray Brenda Patea as someone motivated by money and greed
Zverev was fined £392,000 and given a writ of execution for bodily harm last year. He maintains the presumption of innocence until this trial is completed
Zverev’s legal team also claimed that the allegations are baseless and copied from allegations of violence made by Olya Sharypova, another of Zverev’s ex-girlfriend, in 2020 and 2021.
The court will sit for another seven non-consecutive days, with the next day being Friday, the day of the men’s semi-finals. Zverev is not required to attend the trial. He said before the tournament: ‘I’m not going to lose this procedure. There’s absolutely no chance that’s me.”
Zverev maintains the presumption of innocence until the trial is completed.