Alexander Zverev's ATP council appointment & Netflix's controversial handling of domestic abuse allegations: All you need to know

Alexander Zverev once again finds himself in the middle of a controversy stemming from domestic abuse allegations leveled against him by his ex-partners.

The German No. 1 was recently elected to be a part of the ATP Player Advisory Council (PAC) by fellow players, alongside Dusan Lajovic, Mackenzie McDonald, Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and Matthew Ebden. The representative council meets several times a year and voices the concerns of players to the ATP management and the ATP Board of Directors.

Tennis fans, as well as journalist and writer Ben Rothenberg, were discontented with Zverev's election to ATP PAC, citing the domestic abuse allegations he is currently facing.

Zverev was recently fined €450,000 ($475,832) by a Berlin court for causing physical harm to his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Brenda Patea. In October 2020, the 26-year-old was also accused by another former girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, of causing physical and emotional abuse. The German has denied the charges.

Rothenberg argued that the inclusion of the former World No. 2 into ATP PAC disregards the serious allegations that he faces. Moreover, ATP currently does not have a domestic violence policy. Rothenberg pointed out the irony that even if the organization were to form such a policy now, it would require Zverev's approval.

"Alexander Zverev elected to ATP player council while still facing domestic violence charges in Germany. The only conclusion is that his peers in the locker room don’t care. ATP still hasn’t made a domestic violence policy; now the policy might need Zverev’s personal approval?!?" Rothenberg posted on X (formerly Twitter).

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Netflix slammed for excluding Alexander Zverev's domestic abuse allegations from tennis docuseries

Alexander Zverev

Netflix's famed tennis docuseries 'Break Point' will return with its second season on Wednesday, January 10. Alexander Zverev will be among the main stars of the series and will reportedly be the focus of one of the six episodes.

However, according to a review by The Independent, Zverev's episode does not make any mention of the domestic abuse allegations against him. This exclusion sparked outrage among tennis fans. Rothenberg revealed that the episode casts Zverev as a hero and Daniil Medvedev as a villain.

It features Zverev applauding Medvedev's first-round loss at the 2023 Roland Garros to Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild, who, like Zverev, is also facing allegations of abuse. It then cuts to the World No. 6 talking about karma.

Rothenberg believes that Netflix intentionally left out Patea and Sharypova's storyline and argues that Zverev and his team cleverly orchestrated the episode to rebuild his image.

The Break Point producers had literal hundreds of options for who to spotlight and profile in Season 2, and they chose Zverev, and chose to do it for him in this way. It's a decision so galling, honestly, that it completely overshadows everything else in the season," Rothenberg tweeted.