Australian Open: Organisers face public relations disaster if German Alexander Zverev wins maiden grand slam

Australian Open organisers are facing a potential public relations disaster should German tennis star Alexander Zverev claim a maiden grand slam win at Melbourne Park this weekend. Zverev knocked out two-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter finals on Thursday night, setting up a semifinal against two-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev. The world No.6 is on track for a potential final match-up against Novak Djokovic — who must get past an in-form Jannik Sinner if he is any chance to win an unprecedented 11th Australian Open. A dark cloud hangs over Zverev’s impressive campaign though, with the 26-year-old accused of pushing ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea against a wall and choking her in an AirBnB in May of 2020. Zverev has denied the allegations and refused the option of settling by paying more than $700,000 – he instead will face trial in his home nation this May. It comes after he was cleared by the ATP following a 15-month investigation after fellow ex-girlfriend Olya Sharypova accused him of domestic abuse. Complicating the issue is Zverev’s promotion to the Player Advisory Council, which represents the players and meets throughout the year with ATP management and the board of directors. Zverev has repeatedly clashed with journalists at the Australian Open over the impending court battle, but it has not affected his form on the court. At one point, the only question asked of Zverev in English at a post-match press conference was about whether he would be appearing at the trial, which prompted a grumpy response from the tennis star. “Wow. That’s a question. I just played four hours, 40 minutes. That’s not the first question I really want to hear, to be honest. I’ve got no idea. It’s in May,” Zverev said after beating Lukas Klein in a five-set marathon. When asked if it was appropriate to still be on the Player Advisory Council as the allegations remain, Zverev said: “Why would it not be?” “Nobody has said anything to me. I don’t have a reason not to believe that.” Several players on the ATP tour have skirted the issue, but some of the female players have been vocal around the issue. US Open champion Sloane Stephens said the ATP tour “beats to their own drum” and “They do what they do on that side... Would that happen in the (women’s) tour? Probably not.” Russian star Daria Kasatkina was more vocal, taking to social media to criticise broadcasters after they showed Zverev’s match against Dominik Koepfer on Margaret Court Arena instead of world No.3 Elena Rybakina and Karolina Pliskova at the same time on Rod Laver Arena. “No women’s tennis shown on TV. They are playing on Rod Laver, prime time and for what. don’t wanna say who they actually showing now,” Kasatkina wrote on X. When someone responded that they prefer to watch Zverev, Kasatkina wrote back: “”If you’re a female, then I would advise you to make a research about the guy you wanna watch and think again.” Former New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg revealed the allegations made by Sharypova and said the Australian Open organisers and fans faced an “incredibly awkward situation” if Zverev makes the final. “So much of it has been swept under the rug for so long that people started tripping over the rug,” Rothenberg told ABC radio on Thursday. “Being proactive about it is the way to clean this up in the long run.” Rothenberg also said he wasn’t surprised at the silence around the allegations during the Open. “It’s a classic boys club thing. There’s a big fraternity of the men on tour who look out for each other and don’t want things like this with women to derail a golden boy’s career,” Rothenberg said. “Honestly, a big part of it is that he’s been groomed as a next big superstar since a young age. “There’s not been a lot of eagerness from people inside the tennis establishment to do anything to derail this plan, even when these accusations have continued to pile up.”