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Alexander Zverev finally addressed the accusations of assault levied against him by ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea, proclaiming that he rejects the allegations. The German added that his lawyers will take care of the matter and refused to elaborate any further on the same.
It came to light last week that Patea, with whom Zverev has a child, has accused him of causing "bodily harm," for which the public prosecutor's office in Berlin has applied for a "penalty order."
The application, in turn, means that the prosecutor believes there's enough evidence to push charges against the former World No. 2. If a penalty order is issued against him, Zverev will have two weeks to file an abjection.
The German is in action this week at the Hamburg European Open, where he was asked about the situation. He responded:
"I completely reject the allegations. My lawyers will take care of the matter,” Alexander Zverev said, as quoted by Tagesspiegel.
The 26-year-old then moved on to talk about the tournament in Hamburg, remarking that he feels very comfortable in the city and hopes that his home fans will show their support for him at the ATP 500 event.
"I feel most comfortable in Hamburg. (I hope) that the audience will support me loudly," Alexander Zverev said.
Alexander Zverev opens Hamburg campaign against Alex Molcan
Alexander Zverev opens his campaign at the 2023 Hamburg European campaign against Alex Molcan. A win against the Slovenian will pit him against either Maximilian Marterer or Rudolf Molleker.
The No. 4 seed is expected to come up against seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals, followed by a potential semifinal against top seed Casper Ruud. From the bottom half of the draw, second seed Andrey Rublev is the favorite to reach the title round.
Zverev missed the ATP 500 event last year, as he was recovering from the ankle injury sustained at the French Open semifinals against Rafael Nadal. Lorenzo Musetti went on to win the competition, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final, and is seeded third this year.
Zverev last played in Hamburg in 2019, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Nikoloz Basilashvili. The 26-year-old had two match points before the Georgian prevailed in three sets.
