Alexander Zverev heckled by fan for domestic violence accusations after losing Australian Open final

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was forced to address previous domestic abuse allegations made against him after he was heckled by a member of the crowd after the Australian Open final on Sunday.

As Zverev went to address the Rod Laver Arena after being comfortably beaten by Jannik Sinner, someone from the crowd shouted the names of two of his former partners who have accused the two-time ATP Finals winner of physical abuse.

Zverev, who has denied both allegations, remained silent on the podium as the heckler shouted “Australia believes” the two women.

Other members of the crowd started booing and then drowned out the heckler with applause before Zverev began his post-match speech.

Asked about the incident in his post-match press conference, the world No. 2 told reporters he didn’t want to open the discussion again. “I think there are no more accusations. There haven’t been for, what, nine months now,” he said.

“Good for (the heckler). I think she was the only one in the stadium who believed anything in that moment. If that’s the case, good for her. I think I’ve done everything I can, and I’m not about to open that subject up again,” Zverev said.

In 2020, Zverev’s ex-girlfriend said the tennis player attacked her ahead of an ATP Master 1000 event in 2019, an allegation the player said was “simply not true.”

The ATP, the governing body for men’s professional tennis, launched an investigation in 2021, but “was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse.” The ATP took no disciplinary action.

Then, in June 2024, Zverev and another former partner, with whom he has a child, agreed to settle an alleged assault case with no admission of guilt, the Berlin Tiergarten District Court announced at the time.

The German was accused of “physically abusing and damaging the health of a woman during an argument in Berlin in May 2020,” according to a court statement. He was given a penalty order and fined €450,000 ($478,000) in October 2023, though Zverev denied the allegations and lodged an appeal.

He was eventually ordered to pay a fine of €200,000, with his lawyers telling CNN in June that the player “agreed to this discontinuation via his defense lawyer, solely in order to shorten the proceedings – above all in the interests of their child.” The lawyers added: “Alexander Zverev is considered innocent.”

Sunday’s loss was Zverev’s third defeat in a grand slam final. He is yet to win a major title but did win gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.